February 2016

Falconer

The Torrey Pines High School

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Vol. 41, Issue 5, 32 pages

www.tphsfalconer.com

INFOGRAPHIC BY SUMIN HWANG/FALCONER

feature

UC INFOGRAPHIC

A13 FALCON EATS: PERUVIAN A17 entertainment

The Falconer breaks down the record number of applicants University of California schools received for admission to the 2016 fall semester.

Staffers review local Peruvian restaurants and get a taste of authentic South American food in their search for the perfect Instagram foodie picture.

A BIRD’S EYE VIEW opinion feature entertainment sports backpage focus

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february 11, 2016

Krishnamurthi wins TP Idol contest

by Irene Yu

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Nithin Krishnamurthi (12) won the annual ASB-sponsored TP Idol competition, which was held during lunch in the quad on Feb. 1, 3 and 5.

“It was a fun experience to go up and sing in front of the school,” Krishnamurthi said. “It was great to have support from my friend group and just everybody around me. The competition was also pretty great, and [the event] was very well-coordinated.”

Krishnamurthi won with his renditions of “Feeling Good” and “Superstition.” He will receive $100 out of the ASB fund and participate in County Idol, a competition between winners of singing competitions at a number of schools. Even though Madison Sayre (11) did not receive a prize for placing second, she said that TP Idol is always “a good opportunity for people to get themselves out there.”

“Not many people get the opportunity to sing in front of a lot of people,” Sayre said. “It was a lot scarier my freshman year, but this year it wasn’t that bad because I didn’t care what people thought.”

Although there were serious competitors, some students performed simply to entertain.

“I like the fact that kids will actually go up there and sing,” history teacher and TP Idol judge Lars Trupe said. “Sometimes they’re really good and sometimes they’re not, but they’re taking a risk in front of their peers.

Anything like [TP Idol] where kids have an opportunity to express themselves is great.”

[TP Idol] gives our students an opportunity to show off their skill sets and vocal talents.

David Jaffe ���������

The other judges were drama teacher Marinee Payne and ASB adviser Dawn Durkot. According to ASB Commissioner of Assemblies Trent Crabtree (11), the judges were chosen “from very different departments in order to get a wide spread of views.”

“In the future it would be better if the audience can play a role in the judging process,” Crabtree said. “We had extremely talented students and the turnout was very good every single day.”

Even though many students watched the event, both Trupe and Sayre believe that increasing the number of contestants and lengthening the competition

period could improve the contest in the future.

“If more people signed up there could have been more rounds, and the last round could be voting,” Sayre said. “But otherwise, I think it is a good system.”

Krishnamurthi also said the competition could be improved by allowing more students to participate and loosening the rules.

“There were a lot of really capable singers that signed up too late, and, as a result, they were not allowed to participate in the competition,” Krishnamurthi said. “The 15-person limit just doesn’t seem right; they could have easily [held the competition on] Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, as opposed to just Monday and Wednesday.”

Despite the limitations placed on the competition, students enjoyed the event, which “generated excitement and school spirit,” according to Principal David Jaffe. “[TP Idol] gives our students an opportunity to show off their skill sets and vocal talents,” Jaffe said. “We had half of the quad filled up with students.”

According to Crabtree, ASB will continuing hosting TP Idol in the future because it allows students to express themselves artistically, which is important.

“It shows how talented the students are,” Crabtree said.

PHOTO BY GRACE BRUTON/FALCONER

FEELING GOOD: Nithin Krishnamurthi (12) performs “Feeling Good” at the ASB-sponsored TP Idol. He also performed “Superstition.”

Free yoga Roosevelt impersonator Joe Wiegand session performs for history and English classes held by ASB

by Lily Nilipour SPORTS EDITOR

by Sarah Chan MANAGING EDITOR

ASB hosted a free yoga session for students at lunch on Jan. 20-22 during finals week.

The yoga session was organized by an ASB stress relief committee headed by treasurer Kelly Huppert (12).

“A lot of students get stressed out studying for finals and trying to figure out their grades,” ASB adviser Dawn Durkot said. “We figured a nice way to help alleviate some of that stress would be to offer free yoga during lunch.”

According to Durkot, two yoga instructors came to help about 35 student participants.

“It helped me decompress after a long week, and just go into the weekend of studying and finals week with a more relaxed disposition,” participant and ASB president Jackie Weinrich (12) said.

In addition to yoga, ASB members also offered free bottled water and mints to students as they arrived to take their morning finals.

ASB hopes to organize an entire stress-relief week during the second semester of the 2015-16 school year, including another lunch yoga session.

“We want to do it again and get more people to come by publicizing it,” Huppert said.

Theodore Roosevelt impersonator Joe Wiegand performed in the TPHS lecture hall on Jan. 27.

The Del Mar and Solana Beach division of the Philanthropic Educational Organization, which promotes educational opportunities for women, reached out to history teacher Jim Harrah to organize Wiegand’s performance, PEO member Sandy Parish said.

Wiegand had performed at an earlier fundraiser for the PEO and offered to do one or two free appearances in addition to the fundraiser. “[Wiegand] said that … we could [choose] whatever, whoever, and wherever we wanted to,” Parish said. “So, Torrey Pines was the one that we chose … to be the recipient of the free service.”

Former TPHS teacher and current PEO member, AnneMarie Ebeling, contacted Harrah in December to organize the assembly with Wiegand, according to Harrah.

Teachers Chris Drake, Matt Chess, Catherine Moffett, Colin Cornforth and Harrah brought their first period students to watch Wiegand perform.

Wiegand said he was “happy to do the visit,” and felt the students were engaged.

“The students were interested for a lecture at eight o’clock in the morning — everybody was awake,” Wiegand said. “It showed some interest and scholarship, and … I was encouraged by the enjoyment the students seemed to have and the participation they had in the program as well.”

According to Harrah, the audience was well-behaved and attentive, “glued the whole time” and asking good questions.

Audience member Laila Voss (11) said Wiegand’s representation of Roosevelt’s personality very accurately offered insight into his thoughts and ideas.

“I feel like there’s a lot of speculation about what people of the past would think about the modern day, like when people say things like, ‘What would the Founding Fathers think of this?’” Voss said. “I found it really interesting to get to hear from someone knowledgeable enough about Roosevelt to be able to answer in the way he would have.”

Wiegand, during his careers in public policy and political campaigns, has always been interested in the life of Roosevelt and “his citizenship, his public services and his call to duty.” “[Roosevelt overcame] the many challenges that he had in his life, from ill health as a young boy to the tragedy of the loss of some of his loved ones as a young man and the political

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABILENE REPORTER NEWS

SPEAK SOFTLY: Teddy Roosevelt impersonator Joe Wiegand performs for classes in the lecture hall. He came to TPHS on Jan. 27. challenges he had,” Wiegand said. “His perseverance is just something that is highly beneficial for all of us to know about and be inspired by.”

In addition to performing at high schools like TPHS, Wiegand has performed at nearly every location significantly associated with Roosevelt’s life, including his birthplace, his inaugural site and the White House.

“Every year on Sept. 14, a federal judge declares the front lawn of [Roosevelt’s inaugural site] a courthouse, and … some 20 or 30 new American citizens from all over take their oath of citizenship,” Wiegand said. “[I hope] that my Teddy Roosevelt might be remembered as a small part of the ceremony where

mom or dad or brother or sister became an American citizen.”

According to audience member Ezra Bisom-Rapp (11), the presentation was a great way to learn about Roosevelt in a different way than in the classroom.

“It was cool to see the historical figures we’re learning about in class come alive and [discuss] the present-day connections to the political issues that are going on in America,” Bisom-Rapp said.

Wiegand hopes that, through his work, he can show students that they “really live in a land of freedom and opportunity,” and inspire them to “use their education to make the world a better place.”

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President Barack Obama declared a federal state of emergency for Flint, Mich. on Jan. 16, after the city’s water source, the Flint River, was found to have high amounts of lead contamination, leading to a serious public health crisis. It is estimated that 8,000 children under six have been exposed to lead in the water, which can cause irreversible brain and nerve damage.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump won the New Hampshire Republican Primary with 33 percent of the vote.

Runner-up John Kasich won 17 percent of the vote, and the Iowa caucus winner Ted Cruz placed fifth in New Hampshire with 10 percent. Candidate Bernie Sanders won the Democratic Primary with 56 percent of the vote; Hillary Clinton, the winner in Iowa, received 42 percent. [Based on figures at Falconer press time.]

The Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 on Feb. 7 to win Super Bowl 50. The Broncos’ defense limited Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who was sacked seven times during the game. Coldplay, who headlined the halftime show, Beyonce and Bruno Mars offered a politically charged performance with rumored allusions to the Black Panthers, LGBT rights and police brutality.

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On Feb. 1, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern because of its rapid spread throughout North and South America. The Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness which causes birth defects in the children of pregnant women who contract the virus, is the WHO’s fourth PHEIC, the first since the Ebola virus in 2014 and the first to be issued for a non-deadly disease.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook Taiwan on Feb. 6, killing at least 41 and extensively damaging numerous buildings across the country. Among the worst hit was the city of Tainan, whose soft soil amplified the surface ground motion to create even more destruction; Tainan experienced the fall of a 17-story building and the injury of nearly 500 people, with at least an additional 109 unaccounted for. Sixty-eight aftershocks of the earthquake have so far occurred.

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february 11, 2016

Cheerleaders hold‘Casino CCA Girl Empowerment Week Royale’ Formal downtown event open to TPHS students

by Tasia Mochernak NEWS EDITOR

TPHS Cheer hosted the 2016 “Casino Royale”-themed Winter Formal at Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego on Feb. 6 from 8-11 p.m.

Cheerleader Jackie Weinrich (12) said Cheer “had a few ideas for themes, but settled on James Bond [and Casino Royale] because the new movie is coming out, and [they] felt that it would be exciting for both guys and girls ... to dress to this theme.”

According to head dance chair Donna Stewart, over 1,000 tickets were sold this year, compared to about 750 last year.

Cheerleader Lilah Cook (12) attributed the increase to social media advertising of the event, and other “marketing” that included “decks of cards fanned out on bulletin boards and ten aces of hearts, which, if found, could get you $10 off your ticket,” according to Stewart. Stewart also believes that the increased attendance was due to Cheer getting “a casino company to come in and do casino tables [to match the theme.”

“We actually [had] 100 playing spots so 100 kids [played] at a time,” Stewart said.

“[Attendees played] blackjack, roulette and craps, and we had much bigger tables and games to play. They used legitimate poker chips from the casinos, but there’s no real money so there aren’t real prizes; it’s just for fun.”

In addition to the casino, there were also two photo booths, a candy bar, a water bar and “exotic cars” like Ferraris and Lamborghinis at the venue. Students could also take photos with a model dressed like James Bond, according to Stewart.

Varsity dance team also performed at 9:45 p.m., as it has in past years.

Although the dance floor was expanded to accommodate the large number of people in attendance, “it was pretty congested on the dance floor,” according to attendee Lauren Zhu (12).

“I also wish the location was different from last year, because it’s nice to have a different experience,” Zhu said. “But there was a good variety of food, and I thought being able to play cards was really cool because it went with the Casino Royale theme.”

According to Stewart, the $14,000 budget for Formal is the same every year, but as a fundraiser for the cheer team’s uniforms and competitions, the dance was “very successful” this year.

PHOTO BY ALLY JENSEN/FALCONER

THE NAME’S FALCON, FREDDIE FALCON: Dance attendees play blackjack one of the several casino game tables at the 2016 “Casino Royale”-themed Winter Formal.

by Maya Kota

BACKPAGE & COPY EDITOR Girl Empowerment Week will be held at Canyon Crest Academy the week of Feb. 29--March 4 and is open to TPHS students on the last day, according to head coordinator and CCA student Tanvi Shah (12).

The week will begin with a screening of the film “Girl Rising,” which documents the struggles faced by females worldwide and will aid a discussion about “what empowerment entails, globally,” Shah said.

The following days will cover issues pertaining to transgender women, women of color and inaccurate portrayal of women in the media.

All sessions will take place during class time, and teachers can sign their classes up to attend on any day, according to Shah.

There will also be interactive activities during lunch, such as a self-defense class and the creation of a “girl empowerment pledge wall.” Volunteer speakers will lead all the sessions.

The event will culminate with a fundraiser screening of the film “Girl Rising” again on Friday at 6 p.m., and will be open to the entire community.

According to Shah, families from all schools in the district can attend and are encouraged to donate to the Girl Rising Organization.

As an ambassador of the Girl Rising Organization, Shah will cover all expenses for the event with subsidies granted by the organization at no cost.

Additionally, any costs left over will be covered by the money she raised during International Day of the Girl in October 2015. Although Shah initially wanted just to screen “Girl Rising” schoolwide for one day, CCA principal Karl Mueller proposed expanding her idea into a related, weeklong event.

Since then, Shah has been working with members of various campus clubs and conservatories, as well as the CCA administration, to create the event and spread awareness about it.

“We will be putting up posters

and putting information in the daily announcements to make students aware about this event,” Shah said. “We are planning to run a segment on CCATV, and I am also writing to the Carmel Valley News and the Del Mar Times to let the community know about the Friday night screening.”

Shah said she realized that there was a need for increased awareness of the need for female empowerment after she worked on a macroeconomics project which dealt with “the social implications of removing barriers to education for girls in developing countries.”

“Empowering girls, and removing obstructions they face, pave the way for a more equal world and for gender equity,” Shah said. “This week covers a wide range of issues and obstacles girls and women face in both the developing world and closer to us.”

Although the week focuses on femalerelated issues, the event is also geared toward males, who play an equally important role in providing and ensuring accessible opportunities for girls and women, according to Shah.

“Though the title “Girl Empowerment Week” may suggest that the week is exclusive to that gender, it is relevant to everyone, irrespective of gender,” Shah said. “It is important that even those who do not identify as girls support them and further this movement, because universal support is the first step in eradicating oppressive constructs.”

Halleh Radvar (12), president of the Feminism Club at TPHS, believes that Girl Empowerment Week delivers a muchneeded message and encourages TPHS students to attend.

“It’s important for a girl’s worth to be reinforced and for her to be reminded of it during a time [ the high school years] when we find ourselves and develop our sense of self-importance,” Radvar said. “It’s a good idea to attend because it can assure girls that we’re all in this together — growing up, struggling through the process and creating a sense of community.”

Although Shah will graduate in June 2016, she believes Girl Empowerment Week will continue and its scope will be expanded upon in the future.

TPTV initiates TPHS broadcast journalism program

by Amanda Chen FOCUS EDITOR

The first episode of TPTV, produced by film teacher Derek Brunkhorst’s digital media class, several student reporters and ASB adviser Dawn Durkot, will be released on Feb. 26.

According to Assistant Principal Garry Thornton, who proposed the program’s reintroduction this year, TPTV is the first step in an effort to start a new broadcast journalism program at TPHS and improve the way announcements are presented.

“We’re taking what’s going on at [TPHS] and putting faces and stories with it,” Thornton said.

The weekly production, the length of which has not yet been determined, will be uploaded onto YouTube, giving teachers the freedom to choose when to show it to their students, according to Brunkhorst.

The program will serve as the “foundation” for a class solely

dedicated to TPTV’s production, which will be offered beginning next school year as part of a new pathway program for broadcast journalism.

According to Thornton, 435 students expressed interest in the program, while over 170 said they would take the course in a schoolwide survey about potential classes. “[The district recently received] a $1.4 million grant to support development of pathway programs,” Principal David Jaffe said. “In my experience, in order for the programs to be successful, they need to grow organically and start amongst the staff and students.”

Eventually, Thornton hopes that the pathway will include prerequisite classes such as Video Film and Beginning Journalism and will require students to apply to be anchors, reporters or production team members.

However, for now, students interested in reporting do not need any prior experience.

“I started out doing video film sophomore year and I just loved

it, so I kept doing it and took to digital media and then started working on TPTV,” Ronan Reeves (12), TPTV’s sports announcer, said. “Our school doesn’t really have a good news program so all of us in TPTV want to work and make a better news program.”

I’ve always wanted to see the background of the stories that Torrey Pines students have.

GRAYSON LEROSE ���� ��������

Journalism teacher Mia Boardman Smith was concerned about the journalistic aspect of TPTV when she was approached.

“They were calling it a news broadcast, but the kids who were going to be involved in it were not required to have any journalistic

training at all,” Smith said. “I think Beginning Journalism should be a prerequisite for [being on TPTV].”

Brunkhorst acknowledges that TPTV is “not ready to do broadcast journalism yet,” but still wants it to retain a “journalistic” aspect.

Student reporters interested in covering stories for TPTV must first submit a news package proposal. Then, Durkot, who has an undergraduate degree in journalism and has previously worked as a broadcast journalist for an online sports media company, will guide students through the “reporting and journalistic aspect.”

“You have to have a TV pitch sheet, where you write your idea, who you’re interviewing, the B-roll, and some questions about him,” reporter Grayson LeRose (10) said. “I texted [the student I am interviewing], set up a date, and organized a location. You would go video him and ask him questions ... I’ve always wanted to see the background of the stories that Torrey Pines students have.”

Brunkhorst’s role, on the other hand, is to oversee the technical production of the program. “[I have] been on more of the production side because that’s where my profession is, doing [camera] and film work,” Brunkhorst said. “My job will also be to watch the news packages to see if they look appropriate.”

According to Thornton, the idea for restarting the broadcast news program at TPHS has been going on for six years on the administrative side. Thornton visited Carlsbad High School’s award-winning broadcast journalism program, which broadcasts live, in January 2016; he also met with the president of a local news network and various staff members in order to set the program into motion. “[Thornton] has really been the catalyst in getting this whole thing going,” Brunkhorst said. “I really appreciate his eagerness to get this whole thing going.”

Thornton said he is “excited” to see where the program will go in the upcoming years.

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Emily Sun (’15) competes in ‘Jeopardy!’

by Maya Rao OPINION EDITOR

Emily Sun (’15), former vice president of the TPHS Quizbowl Club and member of the academic team, reached the semifinal stage in the “Jeopardy!” College Championship, which runs from Feb. 1-12.

Sun said she first started “watching ‘Jeopardy!’ religiously” in high school after joining academic team and quizbowl.

Her areas of expertise were “literature, history [and the] sciences,” according to former freshman academic team coach Barbara Swovelin, who added that Sun was a “fabulous” student and “always a well-rounded player.” “[Sun] was by far the best at literature,” quizbowl teammate Walter Zhao (12) said. “She also had very good general knowledge, as exemplified by her success on ‘Jeopardy!’, and [was good at] current events.”

It was partly because of Sun, who Zhao said was “really encouraging and supportive,” that Zhao joined quizbowl in the first place. Sun also encouraged her stepbrother Bruno Ghetti (11) to join both academic team and Quizbowl in his freshman year.

“I was really curious as a kid, and Emily was just like, ‘You should do [academic team and quizbowl]; it’s fun,’” Ghetti said.

After Ghetti joined, Sun

started taping every episode of “Jeopardy!” and watching them back-to-back on weekends with Ghetti as “a sort of bonding activity” between the two.

“Eventually, I realized that I could answer a good majority of the questions on the board, sometimes even on [questions that stumped all three contestants on the show], just by drawing from things I’ve learned, read or experienced,” Sun said.

Sun only expressed her desire to participate in the “Jeopardy!”

College Championship to her family during the application process. She had previously planned to try out for the “Jeopardy!” Teen Tournament during her junior year in high school, but she missed the deadline. By senior year, she was too old to qualify.

“I kind of forgot about the [qualifying] tests for a while, until my first semester at Columbia [University],” Sun said.

“I had joined the Quizbowl team there, and [some teammates] encouraged our team to sign up for the College Jeopardy in October, so I decided to try out on a whim.”

The application process for “Jeopardy!” was “surprisingly quick,” and Sun heard back about auditions only a few weeks after taking the test. Auditions involved a 50-question test similar to the initial online test, a mock “Jeopardy!” round and personality interviews in groups of three contestants each. Sun

found out she had made it to the show a couple weeks later.

“I got a call from ‘Jeopardy!’ asking me about some details on my application, so I just thought they were double-checking my forms with me,” Sun said. “[When I found out I got on the show], it was this kind of weird moment for me ... and I almost didn’t believe it, because it was such a nonchalant conversation ... I felt kind of numb for a while.”

Although she said the general formats of Quizbowl, academic

team and “Jeopardy!” are similar, she said that her time on academic team and Quizbowl did not totally prepare her for “Jeopardy!”.

“I wouldn’t actually say that participation in Quizbowl and academic team directly helped me a great deal in ‘Jeopardy!,’” Sun said. “I’d say it was more of a correlation — there’s a third factor. Unlike Quizbowl and academic team, the buzzers [on ‘Jeopardy!’] are only unlocked after the question is read, so a lot

of times it comes down to a buzzer race,” Sun said.

Sun describes her experience on “Jeopardy!” as “absolutely surreal,” and she has forged strong friendships with the other contestants.

Sun won her quarterfinal round on Feb. 1, but lost in the semifinals on Feb. 8. Regardless of the results, however, Sun said she has enjoyed her experience on “Jeopardy!” and hopes to stay in contact with her fellow contestants in the future.

PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF JEOPARDY PRODUCTIONS, INC.

JEOPARTY, JEOPARTY, YEAH!: Columbia student Emily Sun (’15) poses with “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek. Sun competed in the 2016 College Championship, which runs from Feb. 1-12.

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International Humanitarian Law Tutor Doctor to hold practice Campaign created by TPHS students ACT and SAT fundraiser

by Sumin Hwang STAFF WRITER

Students from schools in the San Diego area created an International Humanitarian Law Campaign of the Red Cross to inform the public about human rights and violations of humanitarian law, according to campaign founder Neela Aghajan (11).

“The project is run through the Red Cross and our group is made up of mostly students,” said Jane Shapiro (12), Scripps Ranch High School student and campaign member. “This is San Diego’s first year [participating], so we got a late start.”

The campaign is made up of students and young adults, and is “mostly self-run by the people who have signed up for the program,” according to Aghajan.

Aghajan said she started the campaign at the end of January when realized she could make a difference in human rights issues in San Diego.

“As an adamant human rights activist, I felt ... I had finally found something that made me feel like I belonged, but also made me feel like I was really doing something for both

the world and for my school,” Aghajan said.

The team’s goal is to have at least 250 people “hear their message.” If they meet their goal, they will have a chance to present their proposals to “people who can actually make a difference” and potentially qualify for a trip to Washington, D.C., according to Aghajan.

“If our presentation is considered exceptional, or the top five in the nation, then we will be nominated to go to D.C.,” Aghajan said.

Although the group has not decided on the topic of their presentation, they will choose one of the two provided “subtopics,” according to Shapiro. The subtopics are healthcare in danger, “which explains the threats to personal safety that healthcare workers face during their work,” and torture, which “deals with the misconceptions people have about its effectiveness as a military tactic and the lifelong effects it can have on a person.”

There are also various routes the group can take for the presentation, like “interviewing candidates and local politicians or asking a drone company for support,” Shapiro said.

So far, the team has used “resources available at [TPHS] and anything from social media to conferences” to spread the word, according to campaign member Meron Lemmie (11).

“We have been contacting publications to help us spread our message, and we are asking for help from the school robotics teams to assist us in adding a little bit of flare to our presentation,” Aghajan said.

According to campaign adviser Kevin Iranhia, a longtime Red Cross supporter, the goal of the presentation is “to raise awareness of international humanitarian law in the wider San Diego community.”

“Individuals, armed groups, and governments need to realize that there are rules to war, and one cannot just cause any type of mayhem that they please against their enemies, and that if they do violate these rules there will be consequences,” Iranhia said.

According to Aghajan, the group will give presentations in April at schools around the San Diego area and will continue until the end of June, when they will find out whether or not they have qualified to give their presentation in Washington, D.C.

by Austin Zhang COPY EDITOR

The TPHS Scholarship Fund, in conjunction with the California-based tutoring service Tutor Doctor, is planning a SAT and ACT Fundraiser Event, building on the previous SAT and ACT practice test fundraisers held in the spring and fall of 2015.

In the past fundraisers, participants paid $25 each to take a practice SAT or ACT proctored

by Tutor Doctor. The company would then send back detailed score reports to those participants on their performance, and offered free consultations on the reports to discuss the score breakdowns.

Through an advertising campaign that involved on-campus banners and print ads in local newspapers, the events saw “pretty good turnout,” according to Tutor Doctor co-owner and educational consultant Tiffany Lien.

“Last spring, we had about 40 students, which funded two separate scholarships of $500 each, and I believe [we had similar numbers this] past fall,” Lien said. “[Participation in this fundraiser] was not limited to just Torrey Pines students.

We actually opened it up to [Canyon Crest Academy] as well as Cathedral Catholic, and we did get students to come over for that practice test, and they were appreciative that they had that opportunity.”

Students like Lance Gong (10) believe that having practice test opportunities on campus are a helpful asset for students who are preparing for their standardized exams.

“I think it’s definitely a good opportunity to at least see where you’re standing,” Gong said.

“People who [wish to know] where they are for the SAT and ACT and where they need to study, they should probably take it. I would be probably be interested; I think it’s a good opportunity for me to know where I am for the SAT and where I should study [more].”

Annalise Butler (10) said that practice tests are “a really smart idea to help [students prepare for the test,” and providing additional information about the test would be a helpful supplement to the experience of taking a full-length practice test. “[Practice tests like] the PSATs were really nice, especially once we figured out our scores, we could figure out what we need to work on,” Butler said. “[But] I think it would also be better if [there was more information available to] help to explain more on what to study and how to study for the SAT and ACT.” According to Lien, these fundraisers not only contributed to the Scholarship Fund, but also were “a service for the students,” as many realized they were illequipped to take either the SAT or ACT after participating in the fundraiser event.

“We found that many students had not taken a full-length test, and yet had already planned on taking the official test fairly soon,” Lien said. “And so, some students, once they saw their score, held off in taking the official test.”

But this year, in response to the changes the CollegeBoard has made to the SAT that will take effect on the March 5 test date, the Scholarship Fund and Tutor Doctor plan to alter the way they run the fundraiser, according to Scholarship Fund board member Mary Stromitis.

“It’s in the preliminary planning stage,” Stromitis said.

“It may change a little bit, we haven’t all nailed down [whether we will be holding] a [practice] test, a boot camp or a workshop.”

All proceeds are held by the Scholarship Fund, which then provides scholarship opportunities to TPHS seniors who complete applications, which involve questions about a candidate’s academics and extracurricular activities, as well as a submission of teacher and counselor letters of recommendation. The window to submit an application for the 2015-2016 school year began on Feb. 5 and will go to March 5.

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PHOTO USED BY PERMISSION OF NEELA AGHAJAN

FAITH IN HUMANITY: Hassan Alamar (11) participates in a simulation to join the International Humanitarian Law Campaign. The campaign aims to raise awareness of international human rights law.

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OPINION

PRO

By Amanda Chen FOCUS EDITOR

In dealing with diplomatic policy, today’s world leaders unfortunately often devolve into toddlers in suits, fighting over some mutually-desired toy. In the case of the Iran prisoner swap, the toys were prisoners — five American hostages, including a language student who was not originally part of the deal, whose release was being negotiated beginning in 2015, as well as seven Iranians who were charged with violating the trade sanctions imposed on their home country.

Following the prisoners’ release on Jan. 16, the result of nearly 14 months of negotiations between leaders of the two countries, President Barack Obama’s opponents on the other side of the aisle immediately berated him for being too soft on a country that has historically been a political adversary and a state sponsor of terrorism. They criticized the ostensible imbalance in the negotiations — even children can recognize that seven is more than five — claiming that the move would place the U.S. at the mercy of foreign countries who now know that they can force favorable concessions in future diplomatic dealings. Their proposed sure-fire alternative? A persistent demand for the unconditional release of the innocent Americans from an undeniably hostile nation.

What critics of this deal fail to

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ART BY CAROLYN CHU/FALCONER

The United States and Iran swapped prisoners, in relation to lifting sanctions and limiting Iran’s nuclear program, but some fear Iranian nuclear independence. understand is only a fundamental principle of foreign policy: A bully does not do something simply because they are repeatedly asked to do so; they must be coerced, through the means or threat of war or sanctions, or receive something in exchange. The last decade has already shown how successful military intervention in the Middle East has been, and the official implementation of the landmark nuclear deal, which will substantially curtail Iran’s nuclear program and increase monitoring and inspection efforts, was contingent upon the removal of economic sanctions. The U.S. ultimately had little leverage over Iran and was left no choice but to grant the Iranian prisoners clemency and dismiss charges against 14 Iranians outside the U.S., even if it meant receiving the worst end of the deal.

The swap, one of the stipulations of the new nuclear agreement, marks Iran’s acceptance as a global trading partner and a member in good standing of the international community. Specifically, it signifies an important turning point for relations between Tehran and Washington, which have been marked by hostility for nearly four decades, since the U.S.-backed Shah was overthrown and replaced by Islamic cleric Ayatollah Khomeini. Obama has also made it very clear that the swap was a one-time arrangement and should not encourage similar manipulation by Iran. However, he remains hopeful that the recent negotiations will encourage Iran to work more cooperatively when dealing with other countries in the future. So above all, this was a deal that promoted peace; a deal that made a promise of diplomacy and good will between Iran and the U.S.

In a question asked by The Roper Center of Cornell University ...

Would you prefer a negotiated settlement to reduce Iran’s nuclear potential over military intervention against its nuclear program?*

77%

13%

YES

NO

said

said

*10 percent of people did not know or had no answer

On Jan. 16, Iran released five American prisoners in exchange for the pardon of seven Iranians detained by the U.S. government.

The swap occurred alongside an official lifting of stringent economic sanctions on Iran by the United States and the European Union after the United Nations certified that Iran had complied with the agreement to curtail its nuclear program. The prisoner sideshow composed by President Barack Obama was a clever distraction from the sanctionslifting deal, as many opponents focused solely on the swap, but it ultimately was a flawed and unwise decision.

It is not necessarily foolish to open negotiations with hostile or “terrorist” states; if a peaceful conclusion may be achieved through diplomatic means, there is nothing wrong with that. But to orchestrate an unfair swap is a display of soft ineptitude that the United States cannot afford, after backing down from muchneeded military intervention in Iran’s nuclear program. And I do not call the deal “unfair” without good reason: the seven Iranians were rightfully convicted in a court of law, while the American prisoners were, for the most part, innocent. Furthermore, according to the Washington Post, two Americans were left behind in the deal because Tehran denied knowledge of their whereabouts. The fates of an businessman arrested in October 2015 and an FBI agent who disappeared in the country are unknown. Considering the fact that the inequity of exchanging convicted criminals for innocent hostages was already overlooked, the Obama administration at least should have allowed for all American citizens to be accounted for in the swap.

Iran evidently had the upperhand.

CON

By Anna Lee

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

To clinch the deal, the White House went so far as to drop a $10 million claim against one Iranian prisoner in exchange for his compliance with the terms of the commutation, according to Reuters. Such actions by the Obama administration are indicative of a careless desperation regarding the deal. It reaffirms that this prisoner exchange was not a demonstration of U.S. power — but U.S. weakness. Furthermore, it demonstrated a significant lack of foresight on Obama’s part; the release of all Americans should have been a precondition for any sort of negotiations with Iran in the first place.

The deal with Iran was another mistake by the White House in its policy toward hostile nations. Again and again, Obama has exercised soft diplomacy that is mostly ineffective.

Although it is a cause for celebration to have the American prisoners returned, the United States should not submit to foreign will by engaging in lopsided negotiations. It was a sign of incompetence, a hastily executed attempt to distract from the controversial nuclear deal. It was a representation of the United States’ weakening grasp on the powers in the Middle East and the dangers many of the regions’ belligerent entities pose. It was a blow to the dignity of the American people.

opinion

tphsfalconer.com

the falconer

A9

STAFF EDITORIAL: U.S. POLICY ON PANDEMICS AND EPIDEMICS On Feb. 1, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus, which most often is spread through mosquito bites, an international public health emergency. The disease does not have any outward effects on afflicted individuals, but results in microcephaly, an abnormal smallness of the head, in the children of pregnant women who have contracted the virus. In the United States, 35 cases of Zika virus from returning travelers have been reported.

President Barack Obama announced on Feb. 8 that he would request $1.8 billion of emergency funding from Congress, which would combat the disease through “mosquito control programs, vaccine research, education and improving healthcare for low-income pregnant women,” according to a White House press release. While commendable, these efforts may prove ineffective due to potential gridlock among lawmakers in Congress who oppose the action, which would delay critical efforts and ultimately allow the disease to continue to spread unchecked. Instead, the U.S. should leave the issue to regulatory bodies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which do not require congressional approval to

take action.

Internal procedures, like closing borders to travelers from countries affected by the Zika virus, that emphasize the health and safety of our own citizens should be prioritized over other countries’ problems.

However, more awareness should be raised about diseases in other countries that the United States is able to help combat, especially those that pose an imminent danger to U.S. citizens. Still, the federal government should not allocate taxpayer dollars to fund preventative or reactive measures against Zika, but instead should focus on efforts to combat diseases that have a greater direct impact on the American people. It also would be difficult to raise public support for increased taxation.

While afflicted countries generally welcome relief efforts from the United States, if we continue providing aid during breakouts of diseases like Zika and Ebola, countries will have limited opportunities to develop the medical infrastructure necessary to address future epidemics.

Continuous aid during disease outbreaks would only perpetuate medical dependency on world powers like the United States and exacerbate the severity of medical

“

“

Siena Fischel (9)

Jake Robbins (10)

I would definitely cut down the amount of trips you can take to South and Central America and ... back to the United States.

which are less likely to be viewed by foreign governments, especially those of countries facing instability, as infringing upon their sovereignty.

National sovereignty should be respected under all circumstances, even when a threat originally endemic to that region begins to

spread outward. In those cases, if U.S. assistance is offered but not welcome, our best option would be to close our own borders and protect U.S. citizens.

So until the Zika virus and future diseases pose an immediate threat to our country, the United States should think twice before getting involved in other countries and instead focus its efforts on home.

ART BY SIMON KIM/FALCON ARTIST

STUDENT VOICES What should the U.S. do to combat global pandemics like the Zika virus?

”

”

I think the U.S. government should send doctors over to the countries with these problems.

[We] should watch borders and fund research on the viruses and see what we can do to help decrease the spread.

Nick Zimmer (11)

Tanvi Shrinke (12)

by carolyn chu

They should try to find a vaccination ... just find a cure and help people so that [the Zika virus] doesn’t kill lots of people.

crises down the road. When U.S. aid is provided, however, we should refrain from sending experts to target a specific disease and instead offer ground assistance in the form of financial resources and supplies.

Furthermore, the U.S. government should be extremely wary of intervening in other countries under the justification of disease combat and control. Such endeavors should be left to private organizations such as Doctors Without Borders,

Falconer

The Torrey Pines High School

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Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Public Relations Copy Editors News Editor Opinion Editor Feature Editor Focus Editors Entertainment Editors Sports Editor Backpage Editor Photo Editor Art Editor Adviser

Anna Lee Sarah Kim Sarah Chan Avery Spicker Maya Kota Austin Zhang Tasia Mochernak Maya Rao Grace Bruton Amanda Chen Alice Qu Caroline Rutten Irene Yu Lily Nilipour Maya Kota Avery Spicker Carolyn Chu Mia Boardman Smith

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Artists: Tori Austin Michelle Hao Simon Kim Tasia Mochernak Jiyoung Moon Ellese Nguyen Russell Reed Micaela Roy Amy Yu Amanda Yuan

A10 the falconer

opinion

february 11, 2016

UCs should accept more CA residents

Reliable weather and nearby beaches are enough to persuade many students to attend college in California — not to mention the University of California system, which boasts some of highest-ranking universities in the nation. Fortunately for students who do not already reside in California, the UC schools are becoming more of an option.

According to 2015 UC admissions data, 12.8 percent more out-of-state and international students were admitted than in 2014, while the percentage of admitted California residents dropped 1.7 percent. UC schools are accepting more out-ofstate and international students, who pay almost triple the tuition California residents pay, to compensate for budget cuts. But as a public university system, UC schools should not base admission decisions on tuition fees or budget problems.

Higher education is already unattainable for many. In 2013, research from the Universities

of Missouri and Arizona found that increases in the number of nonresident students to public universities led to decreases in the number of low-income and minority students. Priority acceptance for public education facilities should not only be granted to in-state students, but also low-income residents that may not be able to afford out-of-state tuition. A decrease in low-income students will also lead to a decline in racial diversity on campus. Although created to “guarantee educational access for all,” the California Master Plan for Higher Education, which includes the UC system, the California State University system and the California Community Colleges system, has no right to give priority acceptance to students simply because they are required to pay more tuition. Universities cannot weigh profits over education; their first goal should always be educating students and creating a positive learning environment.

With rising tuition and little-tono priority admission for California residents, the UC schools are becoming more like private schools.

Focusing on increasing funding rather than creating equal opportunities for higher education can distract public universities from providing students with accessible education, which should be their main objective.

Even if the notion that out-ofstate and international students

are being prioritized over in-state applicants is based on perception, it can deter in-state students from applying. When acceptance rates drop and admission chances are low, California residents will have less motivation to apply, making more room for out-of-state students.

With a decrease in California applicants, UC schools will also start to lose diversity on campus, which facilitates an inclusive and accepting learning environment. Whereas there is nothing wrong with having a geographically diverse school, state-funded public university systems need to prioritize admission to in-state applicants who have continuously been supporting the system through taxes. It is unfair for California applicants to be edged aside simply because out-of-state and international students pay a higher tuition.

The solution to budget cuts is not to put the pressure on outof-state and international tuition; it is to request more state and government funding for public higher education. Using tuition as another source of funding will only cause states to continue decreasing budgets for higher education. State governments need to recognize the importance of funding public education, and simply shrugging off a budget cut by prioritizing out-ofstate and international students over

in-state students will not help the cause.

If the UC schools continue to follow their pattern of accepting more out-of-state and international students than in-state students, not only will students who are

California residents be deterred from applying, but public education will also be turning its back on its original intent to provide accessible higher education to state residents.

each other, but also love ourselves.

And as friction, heat and pressure can shape and mold different types of materials, the difficulties that Murray and I have worked through, within our relationship and beyond, have shaped our characters.

We have come a long way since freshman year. Just a few weeks ago, Murray came over to watch a football game with me, and because my cooking skills can be described as virtually nonexistent, we had a frozen food feast — wings, potato skins, leftovers, you name it. There was a lot of laughing, teasing and furrowed brows from unclear heating directions, and we sat on the couch with stuffed bellies and light hearts.

It may seem casual, but from where Murray and I began, we never would have thought we’d be able to spend a Sunday together like that.

So, what is love? I’m still trying to piece together a conclusion. I do know, however, that the answer has remained so elusive because love is not just one thing. Love for yourself, partners, parents, children, country and religion all have different qualities. Each has its variants — blind, unrequited, steadfast, fickle, reciprocated, misguided, unconditional. In a broader sense, all love is a kind of passionate, mutually-supportive commitment that we nurture and develop. It does not just happen. Love is a practice, even if it seems to arrive into our lives unbidden. After all, I never would have guessed that the boy I sat next to in eighth grade English — contagious laugh, mischievous grin, bowl cut and all — would end up being my best friend and high school sweetheart.

ART BY RUSSELL REED/FALCON ARTIST

By Irene Yu ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE SARAH CHAN In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, the Falconer Managing Editor takes a moment to reflect on love, relationships and a fateful eighth-grade English class.

If you know me, chances are that you also know my boyfriend, Murray.

He plays football and baseball, styles his hair into a faux hawk and wears basketball shorts practically every day. He loves Frank Sinatra and hates spiders. We’ve been practically glued at the hip since freshman year — Sept. 27, 2012 to be exact. He is my best friend.

Ever since Murray and I started dating, quite a few people have attempted to pick our brains about love. What is love? How do you know when you are in love? Do you believe in love at first sight? Surely, people think, I’ll have an insightful answer after having been in a relationship for the past three years. But whenever this seeming softball of a question comes flying at me, my mind goes blank. I’ll usually smile and say something cheesy, like: “When you’re in love, you’ll just know.” Yeah I know, it’s a cop-out of an answer. So, in search of a better one, I thought the beginning would be a good place to start.

Murray and I first met in eighth grade, a time when I still let my mom cut my bangs and Murray’s hairstyle was something reminiscent of a bowl cut. We became friends simply because we made each other laugh — Youtube’s infamous “5ever” video, clips of Dane Cook stand-up acts or pictures of alpacas would send us into laughing fits that hurt our cheeks

and stomachs. If we had free time during class, Murray would scramble to find his gold, third-generation iPod Nano so we could listen to music together. If Murray went to hip-hop club during lunch, I would casually drop by the dance room to chat with friends when all I really wanted was to watch him dance (a talent he’s kept well-hidden to this day).

Initially, none of our parents approved of us being together, since they didn’t want to encourage something that could potentially harm our focus or studies. School was really the only place Murray and I could spend time together — at lunch, we’d walk laps around the middle school quad to entertain ourselves while we talked, and we typed the night away over Gmail chat when we got home.

Looking back, our parents’ strictness has actually played quite a large role as to why Murray and I have remained together for so long — sorry, Mom, looks like your plan backfired. It put our relationship on somewhat of a slow-motion timeline — experiences were that much more memorable and milestones were that much more cherished.

Right now, we are living in a highly-individualized culture that emphasizes the importance of selfreliance, especially encouraged in relationships. You grow up hearing that you should be in charge of

PHOTO BY AVERY SPICKER/FALCONER

your own future, that you shouldn’t depend on other people and that you are ultimately responsible for your own happiness.

While I don’t discount the importance of being independent, self-reliant and self-confident (three of the most important things my mother has ever taught me), I do believe that our ability to step out into the world on our own comes from knowing there is someone behind us on whom we can depend.

For Murray and me, our personalities could not be more different, our strengths and weaknesses could not be more opposite, yet over the years we have helped each other grow. Throughout the changes and obstacles of high school, Murray has remained a constant pillar of support and familiarity. We have learned to love

opinion

tphsfalconer.com

the falconer A11

United States must end standoff in Oregon

The U.S. government is powerful.

It’s so powerful, in fact, that anyone who even thinks to cross it ends up disempowered or imprisoned — or dead. So how is it that a group of redneck ranchers from the modern “Wild West” have been holed up at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon since Jan. 2?

The standoff between discontented ranchers and the federal government started early last month after two Oregon ranchers, Dwight Hammond and his son, Steven Hammond, set fire to leased government land to get rid of invasive species; both turned themselves in on Jan. 4. But Ammon Bundy, a Nevada rancher who engaged in a similar defiant standoff on federal land a few years ago, was having none of it. The Hammonds should not be punished, Bundy declared, and subsequently rounded up a gang of supporters and journeyed to Oregon to illegally occupy federal property — despite the fact that the Hammonds did not condone the occupation.

To understand the standoff in Oregon, we must understand the politics of land in the West. For

years, ranchers like the Bundys had grazed animals on federal land without paying fines because they felt that land should be community property. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management had a decidedly different perspective, and in the spring of 2014, wanted to collect on the $1 million that Cliven Bundy, Ammon’s father, owed the federal government, which led to the armed standoff in Nevada.

These ranchers are the last remnants of American “Wild West” culture, defiant and proud, who place more value in a strong sense of local community than the interfering federal government. To the ranchers, the federal government is nothing more than an obstruction to justice, in the way of their God- and Constitution-given rights. They do not need the government and they do not want the government.

Obviously, the U.S. government cannot let the ranchers conduct illegal activities, regardless of the ranchers’ belief in their own rightness; the government must intervene, which leads to more distrust.

But whatever the reasons for the Oregon standoff, it is illegal and should be treated as such. The federal authorities should take a hard line against the

dissenters — though on Jan. 26 Oregon State Police and the FBI did kill one protestor and take five into custody — in Oregon and end the standoff immediately.

The continuing occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge gives the impression that U.S. citizens are free to disobey laws and throw the country into disorder; for a country plagued by race conflict and homegrown terrorism, the standoff in Oregon just contributes to the perception that the United States is weak — exactly what terror groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, as well as belligerents like Russia and North Korea, want.

From its conception, the United States has been a nation to fear. Its

citizens defeated Great Britain, the primary world power of the day, kept the Union together when the world was watching the United States fall apart, and caused the country’s surge to global dominance in the 1900s.

George Washington solidified American power during the Whiskey Rebellion, when he crushed rebel forces incensed by the whiskey tax — rebels much like the Bundys today.

Of course, Washington lived in a time when the closest thing to Facebook was a census report and media optics barely mattered; by the time news from Massachusetts reached Georgia, any crisis was already resolved. The principle, however, remains the same. Any frivolous or ridiculous rebellion should be put down immediately.

The United States has suffered the loss of many lives in standoffs like the one in Oregon, most notably the siege of Waco, Texas in 1993 — nobody wants to jump the gun in Oregon. But I am from a generation whose entire world view has been colored by terrorism, by the fear that ghost organizations can infiltrate and ravage countless nations across the globe with the flick of a switch. And nothing is more devastating than the belief that the country that has vowed to protect us can really do nothing to protect us at all.

Recently, the United States has not fared too well either in foreign relations or domestic ones. Right now, we really need a win. And that win can be in Oregon. That win needs to be in Oregon.

ART BY MICHELLE HAO/FALCON ARTIST

By Maya Rao OPINION EDITOR

United States should brace for Chinese market volatility COPY EDITOR

The modern world is one of interconnectivity and globalization.

For better or worse, the nations of the world and their economies are more intertwined than they have ever been.

One needs only to look at the effect that Greece’s faltering economy had on the EU and elsewhere to see the ripple effect one nation’s economic health has on others. Most recently, China, the world’s second biggest economy, suffered a huge stock crash on Jan. 7, one that dropped the CSI 300, an index used as a performance indicator for 300 stocks in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, by 7 percent. This drop was detrimental enough to trigger stock market circuit breakers: limits used by Chinese officials to shut down trading when losses plunge suddenly, in order to control volatile market conditions. The crash and current instability of the Chinese stock market and economy will have far-reaching ramifications for the world, and U.S. policymakers should respond to such implications accordingly.

China had dominated international commerce in recent years; according to the BBC, in January of 2010, China surpassed Germany as the world’s biggest exporter of goods, and in February of 2011, it overtook Japan to become the second largest

economy. However, over the course of 2014, China’s economic growth fell sharply, with only a 7.4 percent overall growth for the year. This figure was the lowest Chinese economic growth had been in 20 years, and from there, China faced further economic woes culminating in the recent stock crash.

The causes of China’s economic downturn are complex, but a key to understanding the struggles China now faces is the progression of China’s economic growth. Rapid industrialization was a cornerstone of the Chinese economic boom, which allowed the Asian power to quickly move to the forefront of world exports as well as satisfy internal demands as the average standard of living for Chinese citizens went up. However, manufacturing new goods cannot sustain an economy indefinitely. Time magazine reported in January that “China’s manufacturing output is shrinking at its fastest pace since 2012 amid growing concerns about a possible hard landing for the world’s second biggest economy.” To compensate, the Chinese government is hoping for growth in the service sector, but “some fear that the transition to a services-based economy is not moving quickly enough.”

While China proceeds through these economic convulsions, the U.S. and other markets have been severely affected. CNN reported that in response to the Chinese market’s volatile decline, “The Dow [Jones Industrial Average] dropped as much as 467 points before recovering from the lows and ending the day down 276 points. And Nasdaq lost 2 percent on Monday, the first trading day of 2016, after stocks in China crashed overnight.” Furthermore, the move away from an industrial economy

means that the once rampant demand for raw materials coming from Beijing is slacking off, hurting the trade balances not only of the United States, but of nations in other regions such as Latin America and Africa as well. Some experts predict that a slowdown in Chinese growth could even plunge the United States back into recession, as Neil Irwin, senior economics correspondent for The New York Times, writes: “What we’re dealing with isn’t just a runof-the-mill economic slowdown in emerging markets, but the reversal of a 15-year cycle in which capital has flowed into emerging markets year after year while debt grew.”

Thus, it is in the best interest of U.S. policymakers and business leaders to prepare the domestic economy for the collapse of the system of the last decade or so, in which C h i n a ’ s expansion f u e l e d much of g l o b a l commerce.

Firstly, focus on raising domestic consumer confidence will be critical to sustain U.S. growth even as China’s deteriorates.

Although c u r r e n t low costs on energy have put more money

into the pockets of consumers, that money is by and large going into individual savings rather than being pumped back into the market, and it will need to be put back into circulation to stimulate domestic business growth. And secondly, the Federal Reserve must be prepared to act as a shock absorber for the U.S. economy from the repercussion of China’s downturn. Irwin, however, notes that it is unlikely that the Federal Reserve will be willing to lower interest r a t e s , as cuts would contradict the interest rate increase in December and

also would reduce the interest rate down as far as to be potentially negative. Irwin writes that “that same interest rate is now in the range of 0.25 to 0.5 percent, which means an interest-rate cut of [0.75 percent] would put the Fed in the uncharted territory of negative interest rates.

Depositors end up paying the bank.”

Still, it is absolutely vital to the economic health of the U.S. going forward for policymakers to as swiftly as possible prepare the economy for the shockwave of China’s slowing growth. The nation not be able to halt the struggles China faces nor avoid the international implications, but, with decisive preparatory action now, it can weather this storm as it has so many others.

ART BY JIYOUNG MOON/FALCON ARTIST

By Austin Zhang

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O G

e r cu d l r o w e h t

EGE L L O C A T S O C A IR M . s M g O R n F i h EE t R G t E D a e A to gr

d a e l can

february 11, 2016

*Information provided by Los Angeles Times

INFOGRAPHIC BY GRACE BRUTON/FALCONER

A14 the falconer

feature

february 11, 2016

let’s get political by amanda chen and anvitha soordelu

Richard* holds a bow in his right hand for 27 hours every week. In his left, a violin. Whether he is leading a section at school, rehearsing for the San Diego Youth Symphony in Balboa Park, performing at a private event, practicing on his own, or traveling to and from one of these locations, music seems to always be on his mind.

“Violin is my specific way of self-expression through the inherent potential it has with its connection of one’s emotions and ideals within a historical context to those who shared the same mindset,” Richard said.

Yet despite the joy playing violin has brought to his life, Richard admits that his musical journey has had its fair share of bumps in the road due to the politics that have come up.

“I hate SDYS,” Richard said. “It requires funding from outside sources, which can lead to favoritism based on [financial contributions].

Although it is not explicitly stated, you know [that it exists] because [leadership, charisma and skill] are not always present in the people who sit in [high positions].”

Obtaining the financial resources needed to sustain any program is a problem that many extracurricular activities face, one that may sometimes breed hostility among students.

“Debate is an activity that, especially on a national circuit level, requires a lot of funding ability,” debater Arun Sundar (12) said. “It is known around the nation that we do not get a lot of funding from our school. I went to camp [for a month during the summer] ... and I wanted to go to 12-13 tournaments this year, but I have only gone to two to three.”

This issue has inspired Lincoln-Douglas debate captain Nithin Krishnamurthi (12) to advocate for changes in the school’s travel policy.

“A lot of public schools have liability releases so [the team] can travel with the name of the school as long as they give up any kind of liability associated with it,” Krishnamurthi said. “[TPHS students] can’t do that and thus have to go as independent entries.”

Participating as an independent entry can be extremely expensive and is not always an option for certain tournaments, making “it really hard to participate,” according to Krishnamurthi.

“It would show a lot more investment in the effort a lot of students put [into debate] if the school would care more about [funding],” Krishnamurthi said.

Yet, according to Principal David Jaffe, the school provides “two stipends for the [speech and debate] coaches” as well as “Foundation funding.” Like all extracurricular and co-curricular organizations, the program itself is responsible for fundraising to support students at the level they choose.

Likewise in tennis, the inability to pay for certain resources that are not required for participation, but still necessary for high levels of competition, has led player Emily* to resent the way that the tennis program is run at TPHS. “You get the feeling that especially because the coach doesn’t know how to help us improve as players, that we’re better off practicing somewhere else because we can’t get those resources here at school,” Emily said. “A lot of people just chose to go to their own practices, and that isn’t good because some girls don’t have the resources to play those high intensity clinics and things like that. When you don’t have clinics outside of school like a lot of players do, and then you don’t have practices at school, some players [become stuck] between a rock and a hard place, and you end up not having practice at all.”

Outside of finances, acquiring leadership positions also often causes tensions between students as they individually vie for these position, which according to Richard, leads to feelings of anger and “disrespect” for those people who “unfairly” obtain those positions.

“There’s pretty much nothing you can do about it,” Richard said. “You can be as charismatic and skillful and excel at everything and be the nicest person in the world and you still might not get the job ... because the person in charge is playing favorites [based on] different factors.”

This drama is evident on the TPHS yearbook staff, where there is a “hierarchy system of positions,” according to senior editor Jesse Giordano (12).

“You’re obligated to be mean to the new people if you’re in the top [positions] because [it has always been like that],” Giordano said.

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New staff members are at the bottom of the ladder and “don’t get as much credit as they should,” despite the amount of work that they do, Giordano said.

“If you’re one of the quieter people and you don’t really talk… they take advantage of that,” Giordano said. “[If] you don’t voice your opinion… you get walked all over.”

But yearbook Editor-in-Chief Myles Hamilton (12) sees it differently; he believes that the treatment of staff members in lower level positions is often “misinterpreted.”

“I think people are naturally bossy,” Hamilton said.

“If you’re being bossy to be bossy, there’s no point in that, but I think if you have reasons for being bossy, you are justified.”

A lot of people are convinced that they can only get into these great schools if they start a club, cure cancer, while on the side, hold some position.

Nithin Krishnamurthi �������

For activities that are not mainly student-run, issues may not originate from students in top positions.

But Emily ran into such a problem during this tennis season.

“I’d never had the experience of having another player influence the lineup, but that did happen [and] a lot of people weren’t happy about that,” Emily said.

“We didn’t think that other players should have a say in how [we] play or where [we] play.”

Some players were being put on the lineup while “players who [played] just as hard were not getting on the lineup because of politics,” according to Emily.

Girls tennis coach John DeLille said that the “politics” Emily describes are almost always unavoidable, especially on team sports.

“A lot of these [students] are tournament players and they’ve been working really, really hard,” DeLille said. “When we get a team together, the coach puts you where he thinks you belong; the politics come in where the kids and the parents think maybe their kids should be at a higher level of playing.”

According to Krishnamurthi, the primary reason behind these extracurricular politics for some people is college admissions.

“There’s been a rising importance of college admissions in a lot of people’s eyes,” Krishnamurthi said. “A lot of people are convinced that they can only get into these great schools if they start a club, cure cancer, while on the side, hold some position.”

Richard said that achieving success in high school

the falconer

serves as a “stepping stone” for future success, which is why it is so important.

Jaffe expressed concern about such competition being “extremely unhealthy” for the students.

“What I’d like to see is our high school be something instead of a checklist for college,” Jaffe said. “We [want to] develop something that’s an interest of the students so that hopefully they develop a passion by the time they leave.”

Politics can also occur when students believe their coaches or advisers have not fulfilled their obligations.

For the tennis team, the coach [DeLille] “doesn’t necessarily focus on [technique] and focuses more on trying to make everyone happy,” which does not work out well with “such a competitive team,” Emily said.

After receiving complaints after the 2014 season, the coach worked to increase communication with the team [in the 2015 season].

“When he is so open to communication, he is listening to players instead of using his own judgment [and] then we have problems,” Emily said. “Players have [their] own best in [mind] because it’s an individual sport.”

On the academic team, the problem is more about losing a good coach.

“There’s talk that the current coach will no longer be there for varsity,” academic team member Bruno Ghetti (11) said. “Even though he’s sort of serious about a lot of things, I feel like it benefits the team if a coach is very strict.”

When [the tennis coach] is so open to communication, he is listening to players instead of using his own judgment [and] then we have problems.

Emily*

�������

Speech and Debate is currently facing such a loss, which has caused problems for the team throughout the school year.

“Mrs. Krause cared about the team a lot [and] she was one of the main reasons that the debate team was able to grow [so much],” Krishnamurthi said. “[Now,] you only join if you know [someone in debate.]”

Yet despite all of the issues that may arise in extracurricular activities, which Richard said are ultimately “inevitable,” students should continue pursuing the activities they enjoy and are passionate about. In Richard’s experience, people who are “genuine” truly earn the respect of their peers and reap the greatest benefits from the activity. *Name changed to protect identity

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A16 the falconer

LET’S IT DOWN In which we explore the issues surrounding events and debates in the news.

feature

two in 2,616

february 11, 2016

Often seen walking around campus in identical outfits, Alicia and Andrea Moore (11) have an incomparable bond from their shared experiences.

Oregon Stand-off On Jan. 2, a group of ranchers from the American West gathered under the leadership of Ammon Bundy to form the Citizens of Constitutional Freedom and to occupy the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, protesting the imprisonment of Dwight and Steve Hammond, who were jailed for setting fire to federal land. Ironically, the Hammonds turned themselves in to government officials and currently oppose the occupation. And though the ranchers may claim that their occupation and the subsequent standoff with Oregon State Police and the FBI aims to protect the rights of rural U.S. citizens, the causes of the incident stretch far deeper into the lands and politics of the modern American “Wild West.”

The seeds of discontent sprouted in the Bundy standoff of 2014 in Nevada, where Cliven Bundy, Ammon’s father, and his group of Nevada ranchers armed themselves on federal land in a dispute with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The Bundys grazed their cattle on federal land for more than 20 years, and for more than 20 years the BLM attempted to claim the fees charged for grazing on federal land. Bundy claimed they did not recognize the BLM’s authority in managing the land and felt that the land belonged to him and the other ranchers in the area.

Some argue that the Bundys and the Citizens of Constitutional Freedom are “true” Americans — Jeffersonian Americans at least. They have a deep mistrust of the federal government, a strong sense of community. They also favor agrarian economies over industrialized ones. They value land over other material goods; they see land as the key to freedom. They see land — which is not being used by the federal government for anything but loaning out to ranchers or farmers — as their own.

The Citizens of Constitutional Freedom are the last remnants of a “Wild West” culture that characterized the Western territories in the 19th century. Fiercely independent and distrustful of any “foreign” authority — in this case, the U.S. government — these ranchers will literally fight to the death for their cause.

And indeed, in the Oregon standoff, one man has been killed. Fourteen were arrested. Five were indicted for impeding officers of the United States government from carrying out their official duties, through the use of force, intimidation or threats -- a federal felony. Among those five were rebel leader Ammon Bundy and his brother Ryan Bundy. If convicted, each of the five could face up to 10 years in federal prison.

Although the standoff is now dying down, it brought to light many issues plaguing ranchers, as well as the anger they have toward the federal government. Debates over the right to protest and the freedoms ranchers have to claim federal land have been brought to the forefront of the American consciousness and may influence future legislation aimed at managing crises like the Oregon standoff.

by Maya Rao

Alicia and Andrea Moore (11) have always dressed alike. From wearing uniforms in elementary school in northern China to planning outfits for a typical day of school at TPHS, wearing the same clothes has become tradition for them.

“It’s like a matter of habit,” Alicia said. “Our mom always dressed us in the same way, so we’re familiar with [dressing alike].”

After moving from northern to southern China in seventh grade, staying together became a habit as well.

Not only was their new school more Westernized, but it also had a vastly different environment. Students at the new school spoke Cantonese, an unfamiliar dialect for Alicia and Andrea, and the students were also rich and not always the most sociable.

“We couldn’t always understand [the other students], so we focused on our schoolwork and we didn’t talk to any other people,” Alicia said. “We became a little isolated.”

Alicia and Andrea eventually packed up their identical outfits and moved to San Antonio, Texas in 9th grade so they could attend American high school.

Even though they have been learning English since third grade, it took a while to get used to the American school system, which is “very different” from the Chinese school system. While they found it beneficial to have each other to rely on in their new environment with a different school system, language and culture, there are also downsides.

PHOTO BY LAUREN ZHANG/FALCONER

“Since we’re always together, other people might find it difficult to be our friends,” Andrea said. “To other people we might not seem like we’re easy to get along with, but once you get to know us, it’s different.”

After only six moths in Texas, Alicia and Andrea finally moved to San Diego.

“When we lived in China, the first place I knew of [in the U.S.] was California,” Alicia said. “My mom always wanted to move here.”

At their first San Diego school, University City High School, the twins did not experience as much of a language barrier as they did when they first moved to Texas. But because Alicia and Andrea wanted more challenging coursework, they transferred to TPHS one month into sophomore year.

“Coming to Torrey Pines wasn’t that big of a change, especially after going to so many other Western schools,” Alicia said.

Alicia and Andrea were also exposed to other aspects of Western culture outside of school, namely through their American stepdad.

“My dad and mom have completely different views on things, such as education,” Alicia said. “My dad treats us more like individuals or adults, and he gives us a lot more freedom to be ourselves and to have our own views, unlike typical Chinese parents.”

Not only has he helped Alicia and Andrea become more independent, but he has also helped with their English-speaking skills.

“At first, I completely couldn’t understand him,” Andrea said. “But after a year, our English has improved a lot, and we have no problem [communicating] now.”

Even though they are gradually improving their English skills and becoming more comfortable with the American school system, Alicia and Andrea still want to stay together, often switching around their class schedules to be with each other. Frequently, they express the same ideas on essays or receive the same scores on tests. Alicia credits their similarity and the difference between having an identical twin and just having a sibling, on two things: experience and age.

“Experiences shape your personality,” Alicia said. “Like us, we’re close because we always experience the same things. If you [and your siblings] are different ages, [you’ll have a] different way of thinking of things.”

Even though Alicia and Andrea have had near-identical experiences growing up, their personalities differ slightly. Both are introspective and relatively reserved — but Alicia is more “hot-tempered” and outspoken, while Andrea is more shy and dependent. The differences in demeanor help their parents tell them apart, even if other relatives, like their uncle and grandfather, are never able to. Fortunately, telling the two apart will not be a problem for future college professors; even though Alicia and Andrea plan to attend the same school, they will most likely pursue different majors and take different classes.

“We want to go to the same college because it’ll be easier for us,” Andrea said. “My mom also wants us to live at home and stay together.”

For Alicia and Andrea, attending the same college and staying together does not mean compromising autonomy or identity.

“I don’t even know myself really well right now,” Alicia said. “No one really knows themselves. We’re all on our way, exploring.”

Continuing to navigate their way through life, Alicia and Andrea are thankful for the changes they have gone through together, whether it is moving across the country several times or learning to speak a new language. For them, life is easier when you have someone by your side to tackle it with.

by Irene Yu

ENTERTAINMENT

I wish I was Yzma from “The Emperor’s New Groove” — I’d be powerful and cunning, and most importantly, have access to my henchman Kronk’s excellent cooking. Although Yzma, Kronk and Emperor Kuzco are part of a story set in the Incan Empire in Peru, I recently discovered Kronk’s recipes aren’t so authentically Peruvian after having lunch at Panca Peruvian Cuisine and Rotisserie.

Flanked by a coin laundry and a Subway, Panca’s outward appearance didn’t bring to mind the classic “llama with Machu Picchu in the background” image I’d envisioned, but the food and service told a more traditional story of vibrant culture, extensive history and friendly hospitality.

Panca was packed that Sunday afternoon, possibly because it’s one of the few Peruvian restaurants open on Sundays, so we were not immediately seated. But once we sat down and ordered, our drinks and appetizer were served quickly. I ordered Chicha Morada ($2.50), a purple corn juice with hints of pineapple, cinnamon, lemon and clove served in a glass bottle. I expected

Because of its convenient location in Del Mar, I’ve walked past Cafe Secret thousands of times, but I have never actually stopped to go in. With wooden tables, a chalkboard menu and red lighting, the restaurant was everything I could want in an Instagram post. After snapping a few photos, we walked through the outdoor seating area and were greeted by a waiter, who seated us promptly.

He informed us that the owners of Cafe Secret were actually both from Peru and proceeded to give us a rundown of the menu. We eventually decided on Lomito Saltado ($22), filet mignon with onions, tomatoes and yuca, Aji de Gallina ($20), pulled chicken breast with walnuts and potatoes, and Chicha Morada ($4.50), a drink made of purple corn and various fruits and spices. While we waited for our food to arrive, we were given a small plate of baked and salted corn. The corn was crunchy and addicting, something like a healthy version of Corn Nuts.

Soon, the Chicha Morada was delivered to our table.

The dark, fuschia-colored drink tasted like an overlysweet combination of apple cider and fruit punch,

PHOTOS BY GRACE BRUTON/FALCONER

the chicha morada to be carbonated and much less palatable than it actually was, but its slightly sweet, dull taste effectively contrasted some of the more spice-laden dishes. We also tried Inca Kola ($2), an artificial-looking and -tasting soft drink reminiscent of Mountain Dew — none of its ingredients were even remotely Peruvian.

As for our appetizer, we ordered quinoa cakes ($7) made with organic grain, quinoa, a five-cheese blend, red pepper, white onion, and celery, deep fried and served with homemade Ocopa sauce. The mix of grain, quinoa and cheese gave the cakes a crab cake-like texture, and their bland taste was decently accented by the red pepper and onion. A small amount of Ocopa made from huacatay, peanuts, Peruvian yellow pepper and, surprisingly, animal crackers was also provided, but it did not add much to the cakes’ overall flavor.

After quickly emptying the plate and almost ordering another set of quinoa cakes, we continued with an entree, Papa Rellena ($12.50), and two Peruvian sandwiches ($8.95 each). The Papa Rellena, two soft potatoes stuffed with beef cooked in Peruvian spices, white onion, garlic, raisins and a slice of hardboiled egg, lay on the plate like large brown emu

and smelled like apple pie due to the large amount of cinnamon in it. Even though it was a corn-based drink, there was no corn taste or texture.

When the Lomito Saltado arrived, I was surprised to see that the majority of the plate was covered in sliced red onions. Under the onions were two slices of tomato and yuca, as well as three Post-it note-sized pieces of beef. Accompanied by rice in the shape of a pyramid, the dish had a salty, soysauce-like taste, and the beef was mildly undercooked.

As an Asian, I’m used to eating rice, but Peruvian rice tasted much different. Instead of being soft and clumped together, the rice was hard and almost crunchy, but had a pleasant taste. The only standout on the plate was the yuca, which I had never tried before.

Baked and untouched by the sauce that covered the majority of the plate, the slice of yuca looked, tasted and felt like a baked potato, only more firm and less starchy. The yuca and rice created a good balance to the mediocre filet mignon and strong-tasting, almost pungent, onions.

We were nearly finished with the Lomito Saltado when our final dish, the Aji de Gallina, arrived. Aji, which means chile, was used to make the green-yellow sauce that covered the entire plate. When paired with the shredded chicken breast and walnuts, the dish did not taste as cohesive as the Lomito Saltado did, but I did enjoy eating the rice and sauce, which tasted like a creamy, cheese-based curry. The portions of both dishes were pretty large; after we finished eating, we were still left with a plate full of salty onions.

For dessert, we decided on Cuatro Leches ($9), a cake-like pastry soaked in a mixture of four milks: heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated

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PHOTOS BY ERIC CUNNINGHAM/FALCONER

eggs surrounded by white rice and Salsa Criolla, strips of onions dipped in vinegar with lemon and cilantro. Although the “eggs” were very filling — I only managed to finish one at the cafe with the help of my friends — this may have been due to the much greater proportion of potato to filling; the potato overwhelmed the meat and spices, making my favorite part of the dish, the tender, slightly garlic-flavored rice and onion salsa, a welcome alternative.

The chicken sandwich, though well-cooked, didn’t showcase any unique cultural flavors; on the other hand, the Asado sandwich’s Peruvian nature was more evident with the meat cooked in spices and dipping sauce that tasted like Mexican salsa. Both sandwiches were satisfying and flavorful, but were most likely on the menu to appeal to Americans rather than Peruvian natives.

My visit to Panca greatly altered my conception of Peruvian food and of the authenticity of “The Emperor’s New Groove.” Although I’m glad I only have to travel 30 minutes north for relatively traditional Peruvian, I wouldn’t mind making the 12-hour flight south to taste truly authentic cuisine and possibly try some llama meat — sorry, Kuzco.

by Tasia Mochernak

milk and caramel sauce. The presentation of the dessert was simple but appealing, with powdered sugarcovered mint leaves and strawberries adorning the cake. But when I tasted it, it felt like a disintegrating sponge. The milk mixture was a little too creamy, and even though the dessert itself was sweet, I couldn’t get over the texture.

Despite being a little overpriced, the meal was very flavorful and, overall, a change from my usual diet. I would definitely head over to Cafe Secret again — and not just for the Instagram photo.

by Irene Yu

A18 the falconer

entertainment

february 11, 2016

Finance experts Michael Burry (Christian Bale), Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling), Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt) and Mark Baum (Steve Carell) realize the instability of the housing market will cause the economy to collapse. In their greed, they invest and create a credit swap market, risking everything to undermine the power of the big banks.

Abducted and held in captivity for seven years by “Old Nick” (Sean Bridgers), Joy Newsome (Brie Larson) and her 5-year-old son, Jack Newsome (Jacob Tremblay), live in a small shed they call “Room.” Joy, who is routinely raped by Old Nick while Jack sleeps, suffers depression and malnutrition. In order protect Jack from the truth, Joy raises him to believe that the Room is the whole world. When Old Nick loses his job and is unable to provide supplies for Joy and Jack, Joy tells Jack about the outside world and they escape together.

In 2035, the Ares III crew is exploring Mars when a large dust storm causes them to abruptly return to their spacecraft, the Hermes. But crewmember and botanist Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is knocked out in the storm and left behind, presumed dead by the rest of the crew and humanity. Instead of losing hope, Watney finds a way to survive on Mars until the next time the Ares III team is scheduled to return.

The United States is in the middle of the Cold War when Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) is arrested due to evidence that incriminates him as a potential Soviet spy. Lawyer James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) is hired to defend Abel so he can use him as a trading chip for Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell), a U-2 spy plane pilot whose plane was shot down in Soviet Russia.

A nuclear holocaust has turned the world into a desert wasteland where scarce resources like water and gasoline are controlled by tyrannical cult leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Bryne).

Warrior Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) rebels, fleeing Joe’s desert fortress with his five wives. Furiosa is joined by former captive Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) as they fight and run from Joe and his army in a lengthy chase.

A group of fur trappers are hunting in the northern Louisiana Purchase wilderness in 1823 when they are attacked by Native Americans, who slaughter a majority of the trappers. Led by Hugh Glass (Leonardo diCaprio), the survivors trek by foot to their outpost, Fort Kiowa, until a grizzly bear ambushes and gravely wounds Glass.

The rest of trappers choose to abandon the dying Glass and go on without him, not wishing to carry dead weight with them. Refusing to die there, Glass fights to survive in the winter wilderness on his own.

Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), an Irish immigrant, moves to Brooklyn in 1952 due to prompting by her sister, Rose (Fiona Glascott). As she settles into her new life in the United States, she falls in love with Tony Fiorello (Emory Cohen). But when Rose dies from an illness in Ireland, Eilis goes back to visit Ireland and must choose between her lives in two different countries.

The Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” team is the oldest newspaper investigative unit still in operation. Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), a newly hired editor, reads a column in the Globe about lawyer Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci), who says that Boston Cardinal Law knew about a priest sexually abusing children, but did not stop him.

Baron shows the Spotlight team editor, Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton); he and the rest of the team investigate the priest and discover a pattern of child sexual abuse by priests, breaking the national story wide open.

INFOGRAPHIC BY SARAH KIM/FALCONER

tphsfalconer.com

entertainment

the falconer

,,

Last year, I watched “Selma,” a film about Martin Luther King Jr.’s march during the Civil Rights Movement, and was awestruck by David Oyelowo’s work as the lead; that’s why I was so shocked to see that he had not been nominated for Best Actor at the 87th Academy Awards. When I watched “Straight Outta Compton,” a movie about four rappers living in West Los Angeles, I was equally blown away by the outstanding performances and the fresh perspective — one that didn’t revolve around a rich, white businessman. But this time, the fact that the movie was not nominated for Best Picture did not come as a surprise to me. It wasn’t because I thought it didn’t deserve it, but because I have grown accustomed to seeing a whitewashed Hollywood that refuses to correct its exclusion of minority groups.

For the second year in a row, the Academy Awards feature an all-white ballot, meaning all the nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress are white, and movies nominated for Best Picture feature almost completely white casts. The announcement of the nominations was followed by an onslaught of criticism, especially on social media, ranging from a multitude of angry blog posts to worldwide-trending hashtags like #oscarssowhite.

The discontent escalated to the point that celebrities like Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett-Smith decided to boycott the Oscars to protest its blatant lack of minority representation.

While some claim that the all-white nominations have nothing to do with institutional racism and are simply the views and opinions of the Academy, the fact that the Academy is almost entirely comprised of white males — according to the Atlantic magazine, 94 percent of members are white and 76 percent are male — makes the problem seem fairly institutional. So outrage over the lack of diversity has prompted the Academy to announce a new goal: “doubling the number of women and diverse members of the academy by 2020,” according to a statement by the Academy board.

Although the Academy Awards has recently brought racial representation in Hollywood to the forefront, the issue in no way begins or ends there. For instance, in the 1930s and 1940s, black actors were only allowed to play subservient characters who stood idly by. And throughout the years, minorities have been brutally stereotyped: Asians are the brainy nerds and Kung Fu masters, Latinos are immigrant workers, Middle Easterners are antagonists, blacks are drug dealers and criminals. Precedents from previous generations of film and television affirm the idea that powerful protagonists all have two characteristics in common: white and male. This makes it difficult for minority actors to receive the same opportunities as their white, male competition. And offensive token minorities, like Mr. Yunioshi, the iconic “Japanese” character from the 1961 “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and trends like blackface and yellowface have further oppressed minority groups in entertainment.

While equality in entertainment seems to have come a long way — blackface is, for the most part, not an issue — the problem is far from being resolved. According to the Economist, the number of white actors in films is proportional

t o the number of white nominations, drawing attention to another common demonstration of systematic racism in the film industry: the casting process. Of course, a casting director cannot be commanded to cast solely minority actors or even a majority of minority actors, but it is shocking that there is such an overt overcasting of white actors.

Recent events serve as indication of the subtle racism present in society. Several months ago, Noma Dumezweni, a black actress, was cast to play Hermione in the play and sequel to the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” in London. The news was met with confusion and jokes on social media as to why Hermione was not being played by a white actress, but J.K. Rowling responded that never in the book did she state Hermione was white. The implication that a main character has to be white based solely on precedence displays the lack of openness and understanding today’s society as a whole has for minority casting.

More disturbing than the fact that these problems exist is that no one in a position of power is proactively doing anything to solve them. While a solution may be complex, the root of the issue seems simple: a lack of serious discussion regarding minority representation. The silver lining of the Oscar debacle is that it has brought racism in media onto one of the largest entertainment-related stages, and it has made people think about the implications of casting and award choices.

In the end, the goal of the Academy Awards program is to attract as many viewers as possible, viewers who will tune in anxiously to see their favorite stars walk the red carpet and win big. If more people honor the boycott and choose not to watch or support the Oscars, the Academy will inevitably lose money. Being a business, anything the Academy can do to make money is a step they would be willing to take — but are the actions taken out of concern for the issue at hand, or are they just hasty cover-ups for supposed institutional racism? I believe that the current resolutions, like including more minorities in the Academy voting membership, are commendable and definite steps in the right direction, but ultimately mere Band-aid solutions. The problems minority groups face in entertainment today will not be properly addressed until the industry questions its inherent biases and discriminatory tendencies and actually makes movies telling minorities’ stories and tries to change the way it perceives how minorities can contribute to film and television apart from the previously stated type-casting.

This year, I will not watch the Oscars on Feb. 28, though I will probably read Buzzfeed articles about the winners in each category. Watching the Oscars on television is an endorsement of the Academy and the prejudice it perpetuates. The industry has progressed, but institutional racism is still very much alive. Until actors from minority groups and movies like “Straight Outta Compton” are valued as much as white actors and whitecentric movies are, I refuse to deny that such racism exists.

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A20 the falconer

entertainment

february 11, 2016

Anything Kanye West does garners a lot of media attention, whether it’s releasing a new track every Friday or charging over $4,000 for a plain black long-sleeved shirt. Waves, his new album, is no different.

In the music industry, Kanye West is truly one-ofa-kind. His immense popularity, and perhaps even larger ego, is accompanied by a sizeable amount of hate, making him a figure that people either love to hate or hate to love. Personally, I fall into the latter category. As a fan of rap and hip-hop music, I cannot deny the quality of some of his most popular songs, like “Gold Digger,” “Black Skinhead” and “Stronger.” West’s success is undeniable — he has mastered the publicity game and created a name for himself in multiple industries, with his clothing line, record label and prospective 2020 presidential bid. Call it trash or call it revolutionary — to West, any hype is good hype. So while I do not appreciate West’s snooty attitude, I have respect for his musical career.

As his own biggest supporter, West typically over-hypes his albums. Most notably, in his 2013 sixth studio album Yeezus, West presents himself as a rap-Jesus Christ, even though the album didn’t match the same quality of previous releases. Yet I still have faith in the artist. Silently praying for a divine resurrection of Yeezus himself, I’m willing to give his new album, Waves, a chance. After all, West’s Twitter informed me that “This is not album of the year. This is the album of life.”

Alright, Kanye, make your case.

SWISH Waves is Previously titled So Help Me God and SWISH, described by Kanye as a “gospel album with a whole lot of cursing on it.” Since West started working on the album in 2014, the tracklist has changed immensely. Singles have been added and deleted. Those deleted include “Four Five Seconds,” featuring Paul McCartney and Rihanna, and “Only One,” with the majority of updates coming from West’s chaotic and confusing Twitter feed.

“Wolves,” the first track released off the album and performed on “Saturday Night Live,” was honestly a

disappointment. I kept waiting for the slow, boring sound to transition into a bass drop or something more exciting. Even though the song features the impressive voices of rapper Vic Mensa and Australian singer-songwriter Sia, it was a build up to essentially nothing.

West’s characteristic autotune did not mix well with the dark and trippy melody of the track.

Despite having the same slow pace as “Wolves,” West’s rapping in “Real Friends” perfectly complements the eerie electronic flute beat in the back. Songs like this are what I want to see more of from West – sometimes less is more. The track not only feels more sophisticated than West’s previous offerings, but also much less commercially driven, demonstrating West’s ability to have more substance.

“No More Parties in L.A.,” which features my favorite rapper, Kendrick Lamar, incorporates a dominant jazz sound reminiscent of Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. Lamar was outstanding as usual, and I was surprised by West’s ability to keep up. It was refreshing to hear a new sound from West, and his voice perfectly matched the beat.

“Fade,” which premiered during the unveiling of West’s Yeezy Season 2 clothing line, again features West’s trademark autotune, but the instrumental in the background is far too repetitive and, honestly, borderline annoying.

While I am not convinced Waves is the album of life — sorry, Kanye — it’s definitely a game changer for the artist. Flaws aside, it has introduced a new style in which West executes that same “I’m better than you” attitude, but in a more artistic and sophisticated manner. West might have an even brighter future ahead of him; Kanye may have signaled his Graduation from Yeezus into a better sound with Waves.

by Caroline Rutten

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN WINTER

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SPORTS

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Falcons defeat Wolverines 5-1

by Lily Nilipour SPORTS EDITOR

Boys soccer (18-1-3) crushed Westview High School (11-5-3) 5-1 on Feb. 9, holding an unbreakable offensive front throughout the game.

The Wolverines began with the ball, but after a few minutes of back-and-forth possession, they quickly lost control. With aggressive offense, the Falcons dominated Westview and added pressure with suffocating midfield passing.

Omid Ahmadian (12) brought the score up to 1-0 15 minutes into the first half, passing the goalkeeper and taking advantage of a wide opening.

“It was a breakthrough when they were unorganized,” TPHS head coach Andy Hargreaves said. “So, we called them out, and Omid got in and put it away. That was it — that changed the game.”

After the first goal, the Falcons maintained their impeccable offense Simon Dinkin and defense, blocking ������� all chances for Westview to score or even hold on to the ball. A number of opportunities to increase TPHS’ lead, opened up by Simon Dinkin (12), were not capitalized on.

“It gets kind of demoralizing when you keep working hard and putting those crosses in,” Dinkin said. “But you have to believe in your teammates and that they’re going to come up and make the play.”

Despite TPHS’ constant attacks on the Wolverine defense, Westview retaliated with a goal midway through the half, tying the game at 1-1 and bringing the Falcons’ morale “down,” Dinkin said.

Both teams fought tightly but unsuccessfully for a score advantage in the game, attempting shots at a goal that only resulted in corner kicks and turnovers of possession. Finally, with a few minutes left in the half, Peter Copp (12) headed the ball into the goal from a corner kick, giving the Falcons the lead at 2-1.

“The biggest change in the momentum was the second goal because we worked on that set play in practice,” Hargreaves said.

“When [Peter] scored it was a confidence booster.”

Building off that momentum, the Falcons got off to a quick start in the second half. Ahmadian scored in the first five minutes with an assist by Reagan Sherlock (11).

The Wolverines were unable to recover from the nearly back-to-back goals, and were constantly scrambling just to prevent the Falcons from scoring. Both TPHS offense and defense maintained tight control over the ball, easily infiltrating and breaking down the Wolverines’ lines.

JT Henderson (12) made the fourth goal 13 minutes into the half with help from a strong offensive line.

Henderson brought the score up to 5-1 only a few minutes later, tying up the game as a sure victory for the Falcons. As time trickled away, the Wolverines desperately attempted to score against a nearly invincible Falcon defense. The game ended without any additional goals.

TPHS lost 1-0 to Westview on Jan. 21, the team’s only loss the entire season.

According to Hargreaves, the Wolverines were “physical,” “strong” and “fast,” but the Falcons were able to adjust to “deal with the speed.”

“Their speed hurt us a little bit last time

It gets kind of demoralizing when you keep working hard and putting those crosses in. But you have to believe in your teammates and that they’re going to come up and make the play.

and we kept getting caught out of position,” Hargreaves said. “[Today], we kept our positioning and lines well, and we didn’t give the ball away in counter-attacking situations, which helped us.”

Ahmadian said the goal scored in the first 10 minutes was what changed the game and was the reason that they “won by so much,” especially in comparison to the Falcons’ loss earlier in the season.

According to Hargreaves, the Falcons have been playing “good technical soccer” all season, with better fitness than most teams because of Saturday morning training sessions.

Dinkin said that the Falcons need to work on “getting the first goal and continuing to pressure hard” in order to ensure their success in the future.

The Falcons will play Rancho Bernardo High School today at 5:00 p.m. at RB. The final two games of League are against Mt. Carmel High School on Feb. 16 and Canyon Crest Academy on Feb. 18, both of which will be played at TPHS.

PHOTOS BY AVERY SPICKER/FALCONER

GET AHEAD[ER]: Simon Dinkin (11) fights to keep possession with a Westview defender (TOP). Omid Ahmadian (7) controls the ball at midfield and readies to pass to a teammate (MIDDLE). Michael Stewart (10) blocks the ball from a kick to make an offensive drive (ABOVE).

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with Cardale Jones, Stephen Rivers and Connor Cook Every year, elite college football players join Whitfield Athletix, a quarterback camp based in San Diego that aims to prepare athletes for the National Football League Scouting Combine. George Whitfield, Jr., director and quarterback engineer, has trained the likes of Johnny Manziel, EJ Manuel, Andrew Luck and Cam Newton; this year, Whitfield has picked the TPHS field to train his students — Northwestern State University (Louisiana) quarterback Stephen Rivers, The Ohio State University quarterback Cardale Jones and Michigan State University quarterback Connor Cook. The Falconer spoke with Rivers, Jones and Cook to discover the motivations, inspirations and dreams behind their respective football careers.

Q: When did you start to get into football, and when did you decide to pursue it as a career?

A: Growing up, I played football, basketball, baseball and ran track. And the first time I got into sports was when I was 7 years old. I knew football was going to be the one when I got into 10th grade in high school.

Q: How did you feel when you heard you would replace then-starting quarterback J.T. Barrett in your first college football game in the Big Ten Championship game, and how did you prepare?

A: It was bittersweet because you never want to see one of your teammates go down. And quarterback is such a unique position because only one guy gets to play, and me and J.T. [Barrett] were extremely close. [It] sucks that he went out on injury. But I mean, I prepared like I prepared when I was a backup, like I was a starter, because you never know when your number can be called and you have to go in a game. It just happened to be the championship game.

Q: The first start of your college career was in the Big Ten Championship game; your second was in the College Football Playoffs; your third was in the College Football National Championships.

What was the pressure like playing in these games, and how did it feel leading the Buckeyes into these games?

A: I don’t think there was [any] pressure, I think pressure comes from the lack of preparation, and not just myself, but my teammates — we prepared extremely hard for the games because we knew how much was on the line. I think our preparation showed on the field when we got the chance to play, [to] perform.

Q: What are your hopes for your future in football?

A: I hope I get drafted to a really good team that has a veteran quarterback that I could sit behind a learn [from] for a year or two; then take over when he retires and just be a successful NFL quarterback and play for a long time with no injuries.

Q: When did you start to get into football, and when did you decide to pursue it as a career?

A: Football has been in my family for a long time, so it’s really been a part of my life ever since I can remember. As far as organized football, I’ve been playing since the eighth grade. Other than that, I’ve always been around football. My dad was a high school football coach and my brother, [Philip Rivers], plays [in the NFL], obviously, so football has always been around my family.

Q: Who were your favorite players growing up?

A: With my dad being the head football coach, he had always been right there the whole time and [was] someone I looked up to as far a football goes. My brother [and I], as we grew up, we loved seeing Peyton Manning play. And then when I was about 9 years old, around that age, my brother started playing college football and he kind of took over [as] who I wanted to be like. Now he’s gone on to play in the NFL, so he’s been someone I’ve been looking up to for a long time now.

Q: How do you think having a brother in the NFL has affected your football career, if at all?

A: [Having a brother in the NFL] definitely affects [my football career]. It helped me out to have my name; it definitely helped me because of what Philip has been to accomplish. Also, the advice he’s able to give with the experiences he’s had, as well as any technique or coaching points he can make definitely helps [me]. It’s definitely helped to have a guy like him help me, just [by] playing so many years of football at the level of the NFL. To have him is a blessing.

Q: What are your hopes for your future in football?

A: I hope that someone is going to give me a chance in the NFL. I haven’t played as much as these other guys [i.e. Cook and Jones] that are here but I hope that the teams going to give me a chance to go in and give me a chance to see what I can do.

Q: When did you start to get into football, and when did you decide to pursue it as a career?

A: Sports have been real big in my family. My dad played [football at] Indiana [University] and my mom played basketball at [the University of] Cincinnati, my sister played [basketball] — growing up, I was a three-sport athlete. My first year of organized football was 3rd grade and it was flag [football], then my first year of tackle [football] was 4th grade — I’ve played ever since. The end of sophomore year is when I was like: ‘OK, you know what? Maybe I could pursue football and try to earn a scholarship,’ and that’s why I ended giving up basketball, just to solely put in all the time in the weight room. I’m from Ohio; it’s not like [in San Diego], where in the wintertime you can be outside working out. I’d just go into these indoor soccer places do speed workouts there, and throw inside.

Q: What was your favorite game of your college career?

A: There’s a few actually. Our Rose Bowl win [against Stanford University] was obviously awesome. New Year’s Day, we’d always go to our grandma and grandpa’s house and watch the Rose Bowl as a family, and finally being able to play it and win it was awesome. The Cotton Bowl two years ago, coming back from 20 points against Baylor [University], was the biggest comeback in my career, and in Michigan State’s in a while. So being able to come back and win a game like that was pretty awesome. And then the Big Ten championship game this past year and then when I was a sophomore as well.

Q: What are your hopes for your future in football?

A: To just be the best player I can be, to just try to pursue my dreams and make it to the NFL and just work my tail off wherever I go. It doesn’t matter which team I get into. [I want to] play to the best of my ability, be the best player I can be and just try to reach higher wherever I go.

INTERVIEW BY MAYA RAO/FALCONER PHOTOS BY AVERY SPICKER/FALCONER

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february 11, 2016

Rugby edges out Cathedral Catholic Dons

by Maya Kota

BACKPAGE AND COPY EDITOR Rugby (4-1) defeated Cathedral Catholic High School 25-21 on Feb. 5 at TPHS, with a strong showing by the Falcons in the second half.

The game began with a kick off by the Dons, who kept possession of the ball for the first few minutes of the game. The Falcons stole the ball after a center-field scrum three minutes in, but lacked the defense to maintain possession. For nearly 10 minutes, possession was evenly-split between teams until the Dons won a lineout and were able to run the ball to the end zone, scoring a try and giving Cathedral a lead of 5-0. The Dons continued controlling the game, making a two-point penalty kick to bring the score to 7-0.

According to head coach Matty Sandoval, the Falcons’ lack of defense in the beginning of the game “made the first half challenging, but only helped the Falcons gain momentum later on.”

The Falcons Alec Packer continued to fullback approach the end zone, consistently coming very close to scoring tries, but they were unable to overcome the Dons’ offensive plays.

After a foul by the Dons, the Falcons succeeded in making a rewarded penalty kick, bringing the score up to 7-3 with Cathedral still in the lead.

Following a dropped pass and an unsuccessful scrum by the Falcons, the Dons scored again, reaffirming their 12-3 lead.

Still, the Falcons pushed hard and were able to make a successful comeback toward the latter part of the first half.

“After a few scores by Cathedral, we were able to maintain defensive structure,”

fullback Alec Packer (12) said. “That was our biggest strength and was what was able to let us start doing a lot better.”

TPHS stole the ball from a ruck, and fly half Matthew Goena (12) made a long enough run to successfully reach the end zone. The ball was passed to scrum half Matthew Zimmer (12), who scored a try and brought the score to 12-8.

The second half started almost immediately with a penalty kick by Cathedral, giving the Dons a seven-point lead. The Falcons eventually gained possession of the ball, and Sandoval directed the Falcons to make a penalty kick after a foul by the Dons. But prop Benny Ruffolo (12) decided against this decision and went for a try, bringing the score to 1513 after his success.

“Our coach initially wanted to kick the ball for points, but we were so close that I knew we could do it,” Ruffolo said. “I trusted my gut and went for it.”

There was more back-and-forth with continuing, successful penalty kicks by both teams.

Liftee Blake Richards-Smith (11) scored a try with eight minutes left in the game, which proved to be a decisive point in the match, putting TPHS in the lead 2321. The Falcons scored another successful penalty kick, making the final score 2521. Cathedral then retook possession and nearly scored, but the Falcons’ defense kept the Dons from making successful tries.

Sandoval said that the Falcons “did make mistakes, but that with a bend-don’tbreak mentality, the team did not break when it came down to the wire.”

According to Packer, the Falcons are looking to “improve on their defense and play more in the other team’s half of the field.”

The Falcons will play against St. Augustine High School at TPHS tomorrow at 7 p.m.

After a few scores by Cathedral, we were able to maintain defensive structure. That was our biggest strength.

photos by alderik van der heyde and grace bruton/falconer

RUSH HOUR: Max Lyle (12) is tackled by two Cathedral defenders as he tries to maintain possession of the ball (TOP). Blake Richards-Smith (11), Benny Ruffolo (12) and Zach Hewitt (12) try to prevent the Dons from moving down the field (ABOVE).

San Diego skating team represents the U.S.

by Sumin Hwang STAFF WRITER

Team Del Sol, a San Diego-based synchronized skating team, traveled to Great Britain and Scotland on Feb. 7 and will stay until Feb. 14 to represent the United States in the Trophy D’Eccose, an international skating competition.

“The fact that we get to be on the Olympic Committee’s Team U.S.A. is insane, and even after a few months of knowing, I still feel like I haven’t fully processed it,” skater Leah Ding (12) said.

“I feel extremely proud of representing the U.S.A., and I really want to do our country justice.”

According to skater Grace Lee (11), Team Del Sol was chosen as Team U.S.A by a panel of judges from the Olympic Committee.

“In November, they had a committee come and watch us practice our routines, and we also had to send in videos,” Lee said.

“There’s a panel that watches the videos and decides if your team is worthy enough to represent the U.S. at an international competition.”

Since the selection, the team has been practicing four to five times a week on both ice work and off-ice conditioning, according to Ding.

“On weekdays, we practice from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. before school, and on weekends, we have longer practices that range from four to eight hours,” Ding said. “We have also

held multiple team meetings, discussing rules and regulations, expectations, things like the itinerary so that we all know what we are getting ourselves into at this tournament.”

Team Del Sol has also gone to several tournaments that have helped them “improve, as well as to get accustomed to the competition environment,” Ding said.

At the Trophy D’Eccose, the team will perform two routines: a short program and a long program, according to Lee. “The position that we compete at is called the senior level — it’s the highest level at the tournament,” Lee said. “In the short program, we’re skating to Adele’s “Skyfall” and in the long program, we’re skating to Bollywood music.”

Ding expects the competitive environment at the tournament to be “similar to the atmosphere at domestic competitions, where it is very intense and [skaters are] driven.”

“Teams are almost always very courteous to one another, but you can also tell that there is an edge, and everyone is extremely focused on their own team,” Ding said. “It’s almost as if each team wants to make itself seem intimidating to the other teams, which makes for a very energetic atmosphere.”

There is also an added pressure on Team U.S.A. because “the U.S. is known for being an extremely competitive team in ice skating,” according to Ding.

“Everything we do, ranging from how we act at the airport to how we treat our competitors, must be carefully monitored

photo used by permission of grace lee

Synchronized Winning: Team Del Sol, a San Diego based synchronized skating team, performs at Trophy D’Eccose in Scotland. The team was selected by the Olympic Committee to represent the United States. and is always very respectful because our actions there are a reflection on our country,” Ding said. “There is not only a lot of pressure to bring back good results, but also to to represent our country well.”

At the beginning of the season, the team’s goal was to become Team U.S.A., but now the goal for the season is to win first place at both the Trophy D’Eccose and the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships later this month, according to Lee.

“There will be two teams from U.S.A. at this competition, including us, and the International Skating Committee already has the expectation that we bring back the Gold and Silver medals,” Ding said.

“This way, our country can maintain its competitive reputation.”

After the team returns from Trophy D’Eccose, they will turn their attention to the Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Feb. 24-27.

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DAY IN THE

LIFE

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Water polo started as a mere pastime for Anais Mathes (12), but her love for the aggressiveness and competitiveness of the sport caused it to quickly develop into an incomparable passion.

Treading water for hours at a time, all while being pushed around and yelled at by other players does not sound appealing to most. But for Anais Mathes (12), water polo is more than the sum of its parts, it is also a test of endurance and a means of self expression.

Mathes, who grew up playing basketball and swimming competitively, attended a free water polo clinic in seventh grade that sparked her love for the sport.

“When I first tried the clinic, I thought it was awesome,” Mathes said. “It was basically like basketball in the water, which I loved.”

Since then, Mathes has pushed herself to improve both in and out of the pool, wearing a weight vest during some practices and going to spin classes on her own time for conditioning.

After working on improving shooting, passing and counter attacks, Mathes believes that she now has a better grasp on the overall game.

“My read on the whole pool has gotten so much better,” Mathes said. “I can really direct things in the water now, and I think that’s the thing I’ve grown [in] the most.”

Mathes now is the offensive leader and one of the captains of the TPHS varsity girls water polo team, and is also committed to Marist College in New York for water polo. To Mathes, water polo isn’t just a sport – the aggressiveness of the game is what compels her to keep grinding.

“I love all of it, the driving, the aggressiveness of the game, shooting the ball, swimming. I love when people play aggressively,” Mathes said.

After years of dealing with overly-aggressive opponents and long, late night practices, Mathes has come to understand that one of the most important factors in playing her sport is endurance.

“You have to tread water the whole time, plus you have someone on you,” Mathes said. “I think that’s the hardest part, just being able to handle someone being really aggressive. They put all their weight on you so you can’t get the ball, just working through that, but it’s what sets water polo apart from other sports. Anyone can play as long

as they have that commitment and determination to just keep going.”

According to Mathes, not only do individual players need endurance, but because of the varying levels of experience among teammates, teamwork is key.

“You’re playing with all different levels, we’ve even had girls who didn’t know how to swim before,” Mathes said. “Getting everyone to [work] together with all the different levels of experience is really tough, but it’s definitely a take away for working with people in general.”

Working together to grow as a team, the varsity girls team hopes to win the Division 1 CIF Championship this year.

“The last time I was at CIF finals was my freshman year, and it would be awesome to go back one last time before college,” Mathes said.

Besides learning the importance of endurance and teamwork from it, water polo is a temporary way for Mathes to escape everyday concerns.

“Anything I’m feeling or thinking about just goes away, and I can just focus on the game when I hop in the water,” Mathes said. “Water polo for me can make a bad day into a good one.”

by Irene Yu

PHOTO BY ERIC CUNNINGHAM/FALCONER

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zach hewitt varsity rugby feb. 5, 8:15:09 p.m.

camera: canon eos 5d mark iii lens: canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM iso: 1600 exp: 1/640 seconds f/stop: f/2.8 by grace bruton

february 11, 2016

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FALCON TRIES

WRESTLING

by Alice Qu FOCUS EDITOR

Focus editor Alice Qu (12) goes head-to-head against the lightest wrestler on the team and gains a newfound respect for the sport.

I’m so out of shape. Over the four-day weekend after finals, I almost died five times. I honestly think we should rename this article “Falcon Tries: Walking Down Stairs.” But the focus of this story isn’t on how I almost fell down the stairs because my whole body was sore and my legs kept collapsing under me, but rather on what I did when I joined the wrestling team for a short one-hour practice on the Friday before the long weekend.

After the bell rang at 11:55 a.m., I changed into my workout clothes and headed over to the gym. Even though I’ve been at TPHS for three and a half years, I would not have known there was a wrestling room on the left side of the gym had I not been forced to take on wrestling.

I absentmindedly waited at the gym doors for my photographer to arrive, failing to notice that people were disappearing through a door on the left side of the gym.

I finally found the room, which had climbing ropes hanging from the ceiling and mats laid out on the floor. As the only girl in the room — besides my photographer — I felt a bit out of place. But that’s to be expected; after all, where’s the fun in sending a guy to write about wrestling?

As the team wiped the mats with a mop and cleaning solution, I watched one of the guys spray a can of KS Skin Creme and rub it onto his skin. He explained that it was used to prevent wrestlers from getting ringworm. I grimaced; that was definitely not the first thing I wanted to hear.

Soon, Cole Nguyen (11), who had arranged for me to join the team for practice, and Coach Marty finally arrived.

The team began jogging on the mats in circles around the room. The warm-

ups continued for a while with a few other exercises and bear crawls, which I struggled to do. I probably — no, definitely — made a fool of myself. We then gathered in circle and did a variety of arm, leg and neck stretches, counting out loud from one to 15 in a different language each time. I did all of the stretches with them, except for head bridges; I probably would have snapped my neck if I had tried.

After we finished stretching, Nguyen introduced me to Brian Duong (11), their lightest team member — who was still 10 pounds heavier than me. Duong would be my partner during the practice and teach me a few moves the team was practicing.

We started off trying to tie each other up by grabbing each other’s neck or shoulders with an underhook and keeping our arms inside the opponent’s. After a few minutes of struggling and moving around in circles — I think I had a good grasp on this — the coach called out to go on to the next move.

For the second move, Duong told me to grab his right leg, bring in my left leg to trip him, and then hold him down. I definitely stepped on Duong’s foot once or twice while trying this out — sorry Brian. For most of the practice, I barely knew what I was doing, but Duong was a good teacher. A lot of the practice was just me trying to imitate what Duong did and hoping that I was doing something right.

Duong then taught me a similar move, but instead of tripping him, I picked up his right leg, and pulled his right thigh with my right hand to push him forward onto the ground. This was easier to do, and I regained what little confidence I had previously had. At least I could properly follow directions.

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The next move Duong taught me was the cradle. After taking down your opponent, you lock your hands together to prevent your opponent from escaping. While the move was really cool, I don’t think I’ll ever be fast enough to actually use it.

The coach eventually called everyone together to teach us a new move. The person in the top position started with a tight waist arm chop and then rolled into a tilt to hold the opponent on top. Because Duong and I were having trouble, Cole came by to show us how to execute the move. After having Cole crush me under his weight, I realized that partnering with Duong was a blessing. If Duong hadn’t gone easy on me and wasn’t in my general weight class, I would’ve been mincemeat. At one point, Duong picked me up in a fireman’s carry with almost no effort — all I remember is ending up sprawled out on the mat.

Before practice ended, Duong demonstrated his favorite move on me. It involved sandwiching my ankle in between his right thigh and calf; while falling onto the mat wasn’t painful, having this move done to me definitely was. Duong’s favorite move seems to be the most effective, and I think I’ve found something new to try on anyone who offends me — if they’re the same weight as me or lighter, that is.

I came out of the practice with a new perspective on wrestling. In addition to strength, there’s a lot of quick thinking and strategy involved. I didn’t witness any of the head-banging-on-the-ground moves often seen on T.V. But I should have known then that navigating stairs in the near future would be hell — I was sore all over.

I guess I’ll have to work out more if I ever want to try wrestling again.

PHOTOS BY LAUREN ZHANG/FALCONER

DRAG ME DOWN: From referee’s position, Alice Qu (12) attempts to pull Brian Duong (11) into a tight waist tilt.

Volume 5, Issue 2

Grunion is the new black

Student freaks out when Formal group increases from 6 to 19 members

PHOTOS BY AVERY SPICKER / GRUNION

After finding the perfect dress and restaurant for her special night, Emily Green (11) was unpleasantly surprised when she found her phone full of Facebook alerts.

Scrolling past notifications about the Zika virus and pro-rape misogynists, Green was shocked to see that not five, not 10, but 13 people she hated had joined her Formal group.

Unconcerned about restaurant reservations or transportation, Green states that her biggest problem with having a large group is the photo.

“I’m not trying to be mean, and Formal groups aren’t even a big deal,” Green said.

“But how are all these people going to fit into my Facebook cover photo?”

Green, who decided to “just deal with it,” invited her 19 guests to her home to take photos with her mom, who is a professional photographer, before the dance, after seeing that Powerhouse Park in Del Mar was full of students from Cathedral Catholic High School.

“Okay, I do live in Rancho Santa Fe, but I’m telling you, we barely fit in my backyard,” Green said. “It was so difficult getting everyone in between our tennis court and our golf range without having someone fall into our pool or being too close to the horses.”

Eventually, Green’s mom was able to fit everybody in a picture, but there wasn’t one photo where everyone’s eyes were open.

“I just love being with these kids,” Barbara

Green said. “It makes me feel young again.

Not only do I get to party with the teens in their pre-Formal activities, but I also get to drive them back home after post-Formal activities. For some reason they drive really badly after those events. Sometimes they get so tired they just pass out or throw up.”

It seemed as if the night was going badly, but thankfully the party bus Green rented was able to fit the 19 students, albeit barely.

“Compared to all the other party buses I’ve been on, this one was a bit cramped,” Green’s date Jerome Jeromes (11) said. “I don’t know if it was the extra 13 people or what.”

Green and her party ran into another problem when they entered the dance.

“Since we had 13 extra people, the teachers did not know which of us to breathalyze,” Green said. “I was honestly so worried because the menu said that the chicken I had at dinner was marinated in wine.”

There ended up being no problem with the breathalyzer, and Green and her party entered the dance. Soon enough, though, the group disbanded into separate couples.

“Well, everyone went off into their pairs, but Jerome literally ran away from me,” Green said. “It’s like he didn’t even want to go with me in the first place.”

Green finally spotted her date eyeing the cars at the entrance of the dance.

“I think they took those cars from our parking lot,” Jeromes said. “I swear I have that same Ferrari, I just can’t remember

clearly because the Porsche I drive during the winter is that same color. Either way, I think the highlight of the night was the model they hired to look like James Bond. I was jealous of him because everybody asked him to get out of the pictures and not to get into them.”

While Jeromes enjoyed his time with the cars, Green tried desperately hard to remind Jeromes that he was her date.

“I literally stood next to the Ferrari in front of him and he didn’t see me,” Gree said. “So then I sat ON the Ferrari.”

A few seconds later, things took a turn for the worse.

“I can’t believe I got yelled at for sitting on the Ferrari,” Green said. “I sit on my car all the time, and a Tesla is much more fragile than a Ferrari. And anyway, I really needed something to post on Instagram.”

Despite continuous lows in the night, Green was happy with how Formal turned out.

“Overall, I thought the night went better than expected,” Green said. “When we all did the whip and nae nae at the same time, it really brought us all together.”

The next night, Green posted one photo on Instagram at the perfect time: 9:00 p.m.

Everyone was home, not doing homework and literally waiting for her to post.

Green decided against changing her profile picture on Facebook because, after all, she isn’t that basic.

by Maya Kota and Irene Yu

Rain causes students at TPHS to get wet White boy tries to fit in with local cool kids

PHOTO BY AVERY SPICKER / GRUNION

When cold droplets of water fall from our pristine blue skies, it is a sign that the end is near. However, following a few simple guidelines compiled by a well-educated student writer on the Falconer will keep you safe and hidden from anything that seems like real weather. First, check your iPhone weather application seven times during the day. You need to make sure that it’s actually raining so that you can look outside during class and say, “Look, it’s raining!” every so often. Keep your phones fully charged so that, when rain hits the windows, which it might, just by natural causes, you can take an artsy picture of it for your Snapchat story. Caption your picture “Rain (emoticon) (emoticon)” so everyone watching knows it’s raining.

Inevitably, you will notice that one rainfall will solve the entire California drought. You may begin to feel that this cold weather is taking a turn for the better.

But then, in all your triumph and glory, a resident Debby Downer in your science class will report to you that rainwater goes directly into the ocean and cannot be salvaged to save the environment. Ignore her. Love the rain.

Sometimes, though, the rain hits unexpectedly and when it does, the best way to protect yourself is to hold your binder above your head and run. Of course, a plastic folder filled with things you might actually need is a perfect portable shelter that shields you from virtually nothing.

But, better a binder than wearing a hood, which is built into your jacket with the very purpose of protecting you from the rain.

At the same time, though, there’s something about the once-in-a-bluemoon rain that makes you feel rugged and outdoorsy. You don’t want to appear wimpy in front of your friends, so be certain to show them how comfortable you are in the rain by confidently walking through it, yelling “I love the rain.” At this point, you claim that because you have endured the hardships of rainfall, you are ready to move to the east coast for college and start a new life where you really belong.

Rain washes things anew and adds a new perspective on life.

Next in our San Diego rain-survival series: “Navigating the Freeway Without Freaking Out When There’s a Slight Glisten of Moisture On the Road.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CNN . COM

Student still trying to convince teacher to round 84 to an A PHOTO BY AVERY SPICKER / GRUNION

This page is intended for entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance to real people and events is entirely coincidental. By Maya Kota

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TPHS alumnus Max Angel (‘15) coordinated masses of soldiers, To keep his competitive edge, Angel spent three to four hours a war machines, spaceships and alien warriors toward an enemy base. day playing “Starcraft II” or doing game-related activities, like studying Defenders were slain one by one, fortifications burned and buildings strategy. But Angel said he kept things in perspective. exploded. Once more, Angel had secured victory, and he had done so “It actually worked out quite well for me, playing Starcraft and doing with just a monitor and a keyboard. high school simultaneously, because you can focus and play pretty well and Angel was a semi-professional player for Blizzard Entertainment’s popular improve for about two to three hours at a time when you’re playing Starcraft, strategy game “Starcraft II.” Like many online games, players face off against and if you try to focus any longer than that, you’re brain is basically going to each other in real-time matches to rise in rank and become champions of their turn to mush,” Angel said. “So I think the high school-”Starcraft ” combination division. In recent years, such e-sport games have risen in popularity. According was actually pretty good for timing for balancing.” to market research firm Newzoo, 205 million people watched or played e-sports When he left for college, Angel decided to end his gaming career. in 2014. Asia is the most popular center for e-sports, but North America and “There’s a healthy amount to play competitive things such as video games, Europe collectively claimed 28 million e-sports players or viewers in 2015, a and I probably played for a very unhealthy amount,” Angel said. number that is growing by 21 percent a year in the two regions. Gaming events But unlike Angel and other pro gamers, the average high schooler does like the League of Legends World Championships, which in 2015 was held in not take gaming to that extreme. For “League of Legends” player Luke Jung the Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena, attract crowds of over 10,000 in person, with (11), the game is more a social pursuit — a way to have fun with friends. millions more viewers watching online, and offer prize pools ranging from the “You can all be at your own houses and do whatever you want, but you hundred of thousands to the millions of dollars. can still talk with everyone else and play games as a cohesive group,” Jung Angel was part of that competitive community. He started playing in 7th said. “You can have 10 of your friends all playing together [while] in the grade, but believed that he was not “good safety of [their] own [rooms] at 2 a.m.” enough to play very competitively until Jung has moved on from playing four to the second or third year of high school.” five games a night and now spends more He joined a “Starcraft II” team called time with friends in real life. But he still keeps Team Ascension after playing matches up with the pro gaming scene as a spectator, with their team members online. In his particularly for his favorite team, Cloud9. career, Angel estimates that he has won “It’s like following a regular sports team,” around $9,000, achieved Grandmaster Jung said. “You try and figure out how their status, which is a competitive division lives are, what they’re all doing — all the for the top 200 highest-ranking players drama about it.” in a given region — the Americas, As with regular sports, fans can follow Europe, South Korea, Taiwan, Southeast players on social media outlets like Twitter Asia, or China — and also played in a for updates on their daily lives, but Jung said “Starcraft II” World Championship that with e-sports, there is a more “personal Series Premier League event. connection” available between the player “I went to one Premier event, which and the fan, primarily supported through is the largest “Starcraft ” tournament websites like Twitch. The streaming platform, they have, and they happen about which has 55 million users, allows players to three to four times a year, and I got broadcast their games and practices, or simply knocked out pretty quickly,” Angel said. chat with fans. Fans can subscribe to players “That’s probably the biggest event I for $5 per month, a source of income for many went to.” gamers who maintain large fanbases. Subscribing With competitive video games like to players’ channels grants fans access to special “Starcraft II,” players must constantly privileges, like the opportunity to play against FORMER SEMI-PRO GAMER practice to hone skills, increase speed them in online matches. Twitch also offers live and memorize strategies. Players also coverage of tournaments and bigger matches. spend time studying new strategies and reviewing changes to the “With streams, you can watch them play and practice — you can’t [easily] competitive scene. watch your favorite soccer player practice,” Jung said.

And even for games originally created to be a casual, fun-with-friends Jung has never been a participant in the competitive scene, but “League of experience, like “Super Smash Bros. Melee,” a substantial amount Legends” player Brian Crabtree (11) has tried his hand at a tournament before. of training is needed to go pro. According to “Melee” player Casimir “I played in a local tournament with a few of my friends, and we actually Kothari (12), playing “Melee” professionally requires great technical ended up winning … Definitely the first time you play in a tournament it’s a lot skill that may take years to develop. of fun, but it’s a lot of work,” Crabtree said.

“It’s super fast-paced … each character has a ton of options, and the Crabtree said a career in pro gaming is possible “if you’re good enough,” options are good in different situations,” Kothari said. “There’s always You can have a substantial income from streaming sites, corporate and gaming another layer of complexity, so it’s a very deep game.” company sponsorships and tournament prizes, but it is difficult to reach the “Melee” games do not draw millions of viewers like “League” or level of the best competitive players. According to Angel, it is possible as long “Defense of the Ancients 2,” but it has a devoted fan base, according as a player goes in with commitment and focus. to Kothari.

“If you’re very dedicated and don’t fall into some sort of mental trap “The people who play it really appreciate its amazingness … and of thinking that you’ve gotten far enough, or if you don’t hit some sort of everyone knows all the top players and their personalities,” Kothari roadblock, it’s not too hard to get to where I got,” Angel said. “I wouldn’t say said. “That’s one of the big appeals of the game because there’s all it’s a matter of it being easy or hard. You can constantly improve as long as you these storylines with all the pro players, and it’s really exciting to see don’t [start thinking] that you are good enough, that you’re one of the best them play each other. It’s fun to watch and it’s fun to play.” players and you’ve gone as far as you can go, and then you’re not trying to Such storylines include classic tales of underdog victories, trash- improve anymore.” talking champions and surprising reversals for players and teams. Kothari Pro gaming may not be a career path for everyone, but the industry keeps up to date with community developments and plays mainly with is expanding. With companies like Coca-Cola sponsoring his friends, but has participated in a competitive tournament locally. teams, income from streaming sites and millions of dollars “I immediately got double-eliminated; that’s the cold, hard in tournament prize pools, there is definite money to be truth,” Kothari said. made in e-sports. Perhaps in the future the definition of Despite the rough start, Kothari said he did win a few games, sports will change — athletes won’t only sprint, pass and may be interested in playing more local tournaments in and tackle. They’ll also get that hyped triple kill that the future to improve his skills. takes them to the top of the match’s rankings.

can constantly “ You improve as long

as you don’t [start thinking] that you are good enough, that you’re one of the best players.

MAX ANGEL (‘15)

Josh Keeble (11) plays all kinds of games. He can fly planes, swing swords, make animals run and stack Tetris blocks all with the touch of a finger. But Keeble does not simply play games; he has learned how to code and design games which, conversely, does not just take the touch of a finger, but an immense amount of creativity and precision.

“One common misconception is a lot of people want to be game designers because they think, ‘Oh, that’s where I get to create the design of the game,’” CEO of mobile game company Pixelberry Studios Oliver Miao (‘93) said. “That’s true, but another really important function of the designer is actually to take these high level game ideas and to translate them [into code] and get into the details and specifics.”

Those “details and specifics” in each step of programming present their own challenges. According to Keeble, building a game begins with a basic design for the structure and environment of the game.

“To make a game, you have to start with graphics and then picture how you want the game to work, and with that, you picture how the code’s going to work,” Keeble said.

Deciding on the nature of in-game graphics, whether it is “bright and colorful” or “shady, grim and dark,” is paramount to being able to develop the plot, storyline and script, according to game programmer Preston Roberts (11).

“Game scripts are a bit like theater scripts, but not quite,” Roberts said. “You have to do interactions, and it is a lot more in-depth than theater script.”

Roberts has been GAME PROGRAMMER programming games since he was 10 years old. He currently manages the development of several indie, or independent, game projects. Unlike Keeble and Miao, who work alone or with friends and coworkers they are acquainted with, Roberts recruits people from online forums and distributes the work among his team members.

“There’s thousands of forums [to] post your project,” Roberts said. “You post descriptions of what you want and how many you want, and then people will throw in applications to work [with you].”

After the initial setup of the game is complete, the long process of game design, including sound design, asset creation, texturing and concept art, picks up speed — and with it come the challenges and obstacles that all programmers face.

Even Miao, who first became involved in making games in college and started the game companies Centerscore in 2000 and Pixelberry in 2012, is not exempt from bumps in the road. He said one of the most frustrating parts of programming is dealing with the bugs in the system.

“Some of these bugs prevent your game from

working completely until you fix that bug,” Miao said. “You don’t know if you’re going to find that fix in 15 minutes, or it could be days or weeks even before you solve a problem. It requires people to have a lot of perseverance [to] keep moving forward.”

Bugs arise from errors in code that can affect entire sections of code and lead to games behaving in unusual or unintended ways.

Keeble also finds debugging code to be one of the most challenging parts of programming games.

“Debugging your code is difficult because you stop one problem, and then two problems come up because of it,” Keeble said. “So, you have to make it perfect the first time or you’re in big trouble.”

Various coding languages, like Java, Python, Lua and C++, can also be present challenges, but Mike Zheng (12), who created a battleship-style game called “Spearhead” for Steam Greenlight, an online game development community, became fluent in coding after doing it for many years.

“I learned [Objective C] in about a week, which is actually the longest I’ve ever taken to learn a programming language,” Zheng said. “I’ve programmed in pretty much every language … and I can learn a language in [around] an hour. It’s not really a big deal about how many I know, it’s just how many I use.”

But in the end, all the difficulties involved in the long and arduous task of programming games contribute to a feeling that is more than just relieved completion, according to Zheng.

“When you get it right, you feel good that you got it right, but it’s more about the progression,” Zheng said. “[You start] from nothing, and then, over time, you really start getting something.”

The games “Surviving High School” and “Cause of Death” by Centerscore and “High School Story” by Pixelberry, are available on the App Store, and at one point they reached eighth, twenty-fourth and tenth, respectively, on the charts. But success is not Miao’s only satisfaction in his work. For him, simply running the company allows for exciting teamwork and collaboration, even in the midst of deadlines or extra hours spent in the office.

“Inevitably, with a game, as you’re getting closer to launch, you’re always running against a timeline, and sometimes we get more ambitious with some of the features we want to do,” Miao said. “Some of my fondest memories with my team are when we’re working together, working really hard to try and make something happen. There’s just so much camaraderie.”

For programmers, students and company owners, the game creation process poses distinctive challenges as well as rewarding outcomes. Yet, for Roberts, just starting a game, fully aware of the tribulations that lie ahead, is what requires the most “courage, because it takes a certain bravery to start a process that will surely be challenging.”

scripts are “ Game a bit like theater

scripts, but not quite ... [A game script] is a lot more in-depth.

PRESTON ROBERTS

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Madden: NFL 15

Grand Theft Auto V

*Information from CNET, Entertainment Software Rating Board and Entertainment Software Association

INFOGRAPHIC BY SUMIN HWANG AND ANVITHA SOORDELU